Defining a Lifetime
by cheeseandoreosHP
Summary: A series of moments through the lives of Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase, starting with a fateful night babysitting in San Francisco...
1. Demigod Babysitters At Your Service

**Author's note: This has been my writers block story over the past week, but I finished it this evening and decided I _had _to post it... It has to be the cheesiest thing I have ever written. Ever. So of course it was the most enjoyable to write, too. **

**I'll probably add more chapters as I go along, not sure yet. I'm already partway through another one. **

**I don't own Percy Jackson, in case you hadn't figured...**

We do not remember days. We remember moments~ Cesare Pavese

Annabeth hurriedly wiped her hands on her apron as she went to get the door, yelling up the stairs tell her stepmother dinner was nearly ready as she went. The smell of the ocean reached her before she turned around and saw him.

"Hey there Wise Girl. Apparently I have a girlfriend in the area who needs some help babysitting?"

Grinning as she rolled her eyes, she grabbed his hand and pulled him into the hallway. At the same moment, her Dad came into the hall.

"Adri, are you nearly ready?" He called up the stairs. "Going to miss our reservation at this rate." He mumbled under his breath.

"Hey there Mr Chase." Percy said, his arm still around Annabeth's waist and lopsided smile firmly in place.

"Percy!" Exclaimed Annabeth's father was evidently taken aback a moment, but he was quick to recover. "It's good of you to do this. It's been hard to find any time, what with the new baby and everything, so we really appreciate your help."

"It's not a problem. Really." Percy assured him.

Annabeth grinned at her father, then turned to Percy, placing her hands gently on his chest. "Come on. Pizza's nearly done. You're just in time to make blue cupcakes."

"Mmm." He murmured as he entered the kitchen, allowing the pizza smell to waft over him. "How did you make blue pizza?"

"Bit of an experiment." Confessed Annabeth as she got it out of the oven. "Adri gave me the recipe for homemade pizza dough, and since you were coming, I thought I'd add some food colouring. It looks like it's gone off or something."

Percy laughed as he sit down at the kitchen table in the centre of the room. "I think it looks perfect."

Adri's heels echoed slightly as she came into the kitchen, affixing an earring in her ear lobe.

"You look nice." Smiled Annabeth, looking up from her perch on the counter.

"Thank you." Adri smiled in return. "You're looking rather lovely yourself. I thought it was just a quiet night in?"

Annabeth blushed ever so slightly. "Date night for us as well as you. Besides, I'm not that dressed up. I couldn't even be bothered changing out of my jeans."

"Well, you look pretty either way. Hey Percy, I don't know if Frederick's already said, but thanks for doing this. Both of you. We're leaving in a minute." She told them. "Lou's down for the night, I think, but if she wakes up there's nappies in the bathroom cabinet and some milk in the fridge. I've put a list of emergency numbers on the counter, call us if you need to. Bobby and Matthew should be in bed by ten at the very latest, since it's a school night, but we shouldn't be back too late. You can help yourself to whatever you like from the fridge or cupboards."

Annabeth laughed, hopping off the counter. "Don't tell Percy that. He'll eat us out of house and home!"

Adri grinned. "Alright. Well, thank you both again. And behave yourselves."

With a kiss on the cheek for Annabeth (which smelt of perfume) and a smile for Percy, both her and Annabeth's father left.

Percy waited until the car had driven away, before getting off the chair and walking over to her, wrapping his arms around her neck.

"Things look like they're getting better. With your step mum, I mean."

Annabeth's brow wrinkled. "I think so. We're both trying" She untangled her arms so she could put them around his waist and peck him on the lips. "Come on. Before this blue pizza gets cold."

"Where's our dinner?" Bobby demanded, appearing out of nowhere. Annabeth jumped. She and Percy had been sat at opposite ends of the table, deep in conversation. So far, they'd covered the rebuilding of Olympus, which Annabeth was overseeing (though only briefly. Annabeth knew how glazed over his eyes would become when they covered architecture in detail, and she didn't want to bore him,) Camp Half Blood, their plans for the summer solstice, Annabeth's upcoming birthday, on and on. Annabeth felt safe in Percy's presence, happy like she hadn't been in a long time, almost like Tartarus had never happened... Which was ridiculous, because he'd been in Tartarus with her.

So engrossed with their 'date night' they had completely forgotten about the fact that they were babysitting.

"Right here. I was just keeping it warm for you." She said, turning her back to hide how flustered she was.

"You're Percy Jackson." Matthew informed Percy, playing the 'protective younger brother'. "Annabeth's boyfriend."

Percy laughed. "Hey, man. Pleased to meet you."

Rolling her eyes for Percy's benefit, Annabeth set the pizza on the table. "Yes, it's chicken and pepperoni." she informed Bobby before he so much as opened his mouth, winking.

"So, have you guys done your homework?" Asked Annabeth, breaking the awkward silence.

"No." Scowled Matthew, just as Bobby said "Yes."

"You should do it after dinner." Annabeth told Matthew, before turning to Bobby. "And your room is a tip. Clean it please."

"Yes mum." Muttered Bobby.

"What was that?" Asked Annabeth, here eyes narrowing as her tone grew dangerous. Matthew flinched, and Percy grinned.

"Nothing."

After that, silent fell around the little kitchen table, apart from the loud munching of pizza issuing from both Percy and Matthew's corner... Throughout the meal, Bobby's eyes kept flickering from Annabeth to Percy and back again, as though trying to figure something out.

For their part, Percy and Annabeth seemed to be having some sort of silent conversation. For no apparent reason, Annabeth's eyes would spark with laughter, or an inexplicable smile would tug at Percy's lips, though no one had said anything remotely funny or even interesting so far.

"Are you going to marry Annabeth?" Bobby blurted out suddenly, halfway through the meal. Annabeth's eyes widened as her cheeks flushed. Matthew, too, seemed to sense danger.

"Bobby, why don't we-"

"Maybe." Percy laughed, meeting Annabeth's eyes from across the table. "Bit premature, though, don't you think?"

"Sorry. Stupid ADHD. Makes me say stuff I don't mean to."

"Know the feeling." Laughed Percy. "My ADHD's always acting up at the worst moments."

As Bobby grinned appreciatively and turned away to talk to Matthew, Annabeth winked and mouthed 'nice save.' Percy just smiled.

"Blue cupcakes?" Annabeth grinned, once Bobby and Matthew had gone off down the hall to do the chores she had issued.

Percy smiled in agreement, collecting the plates and dumping them in the sink as he poured hot water and washing up liquid over them. Annabeth grinned, and grabbed a dish cloth.

"You do dishes? Maybe I really will marry you!" She grinned.

Laughing, Percy splashed her with soapy water.

"Oh, I am so going to get you for that!" She gasped. A full blown dish cloth war ensued, which ended (rather predictably) with them both flat on their backs in a soapy puddle of water on the floor...

"Draw?" Asked Annabeth, looking down at the top Aphrodite had made her promise to wear as she peeled a sopping wet curl off her face. The poor fabric was drenched in dishwater, completely plastered to her, but somehow she didn't feel that sorry.

It wasn't really her style anyway.

"Draw." Percy laughed, biting his lip.

"Alright. Blue cupcakes." Annabeth reminded him.

As it transpired, Percy was about as responsible with cake mixture as he was with dish water. Annabeth swore there was more batter on her face, in her hair and on her clothes and bare arms than there was in the cake cases...

Licking out the bowl was fun, though.

Percy looked at her and grinned.

"You've got a bit of flour just here." he said, trailing a finger down her cheek and wiping gloopy blue cake on her wherever he touched. Laughing, she grabbed the bag of flour from the side and threw a dust cloud all over him.

He turned to her and grinned, his teeth seeming especially white and his tongue very blue...

"Oh, that's freaky." She laughed. "You look grey! It's like seeing 50 years into the future. You look all old and crippled!"

The truth was, his bright eyes still shone with mirth and his smile was still lopsided and sarcastic... He was seaweed brain, her seaweed brain, and that was just the way she liked him.

He laughed. "You know, I think I put a bit too much food colouring in that. This many e numbers can't be good for me."

"I thought it was a really intense blue!" Annabeth half sighed, half laughed. "Percy, you used almost half the bottle! Stick out your tongue!"

Laughter so hysterical she almost wet herself overtook her. "Oh my gods, Percy! You look like an old alien!"

Percy laughed. "Well, you're one to talk! You're covered in so much cake mixture you look like a blond smurf. Come to think of it, there is a blond smurf, isn't there?"

Annabeth couldn't help it. She burst out laughing, yet again.

After both of them showered and got changed, and the kitchen (at Annabeth's insistence) was properly cleaned up, they sat down to watch a film.

Percy, however, didn't seem very interested in _the Life of Pi. _He was preoccupied with playing with Annabeth's still-slightly-damp curls.

"I like you better like this." he said suddenly. Taken aback, Annabeth realised he was blushing even in the half light of the living room.

"Like what?" she asked softly.

"This." He clarified vaguely, waving his hand over her. "Without any makeup on, with your hair damp and down, dressed in one of my old jumpers."

"Thanks, Percy." It was her turn to blush now. Tugging slightly self consciously at the ratty, over large jumper Percy had leant her the other month and making a half hearted attempt to flatten her hair, she smiled at him. "Not so bad yourself you know." She told him, tangling her hands in his hair.

"Oh really, Wise Girl?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Hump hmm." The sound of the clearing of a throat had them both turning at the same time, Annabeth practically falling off the couch. Bobby. The kid had to have the worst timing in the history of the world...

"Isn't it your bedtime or something?" Annabeth asked, with obvious impatience.

"It's like 8 o clock." Bobby laughed.

"Exactly." Annabeth replied. "Eight... Is it really eight?" She asked Percy, who shrugged in reply. "Well, yeah. Anyway, eight o clock is really far too late for you to be up. On a school night! You're 13, not 20!" She mock scolded. Bobby grinned.

"Anyway, I'm bored."

Annabeth frowned. "You're always bored."

"So am I, as it happens." Matthew appeared suddenly at Bobby's side. "You don't mind if we join you guys, I'm sure, what with you both being incredibly responsible babysitters and all."

"As it happens, I do mind, actually-" Annabeth began.

"Excellent." Bobby cut across her, grinning as if he was enjoying himself quite a lot. "Budge up."

"Fine." Annabeth replied, as Percy sat up. Hesitating for a fraction of a second, she sat down on his lap, her legs hanging off the edge of the sofa, hands tangled back in his hair. Percy smirked.

"You know, just because they say babysit, doesn't mean you actually have to sit on someone, Annabeth." Matthew sighed, throwing himself down onto the couch next to them. Laughing, Annabeth stuck her tongue out.

"Just because you've never had a girlfriend, Matthew darling."

Rolling his eyes didn't quite disguise her brother's wounded pride. He didn't really say much to either of them for the rest of the evening...

"Alright." Said Annabeth, glancing at the clock which now read ten o clock. "Time for bed."

After some protests, Bobby and Matthew trudged up the stairs, complaining loudly. It wasn't long after that that a crash reached their ears, followed by some quite colourful cursing on Matthew's part...

"Please, please, please." Muttered Annabeth, crossing her fingers against Percy's chest. "For the love of Athena, don't let them have woken Lou."

They both waited a moment, listening intently, before a sudden, shrill cry reached their ears.

"Now they've done it." Annabeth scowled. Sighing, she untangled herself from Percy and trudged up the stairs, muttering to herself about stupid brothers.

"Go to bed." She told Bobby in a tired sort of tone. "I'll sort this."

For a moment, Lou seemed quieter in her arms. "That's it, kid." Annabeth sighed, rocking her back and forth. "Go back to sleep for your big sister."

Without warning, the baby's eyes flew open, her face turning red as she opened her mouth and screamed at what seemed to be the top of her lungs...

"Every night this week, Lou." Annabeth groaned, cooing in a gentle sort of tone as she reprimanded the little bundle of blankets. "Every single night you've prevented me from sleeping. Not that I would have been doing much sleeping anyways, after the other summer, but still. Just for tonight, please, could you not just sleep like a good little baby?"

Neck prickling, Annabeth suddenly got the feeling someone was watching her... As her hand curled around her knife, however, the smell of the sea reached her nostrils.

Spinning around so fast she made Lou scream her loudest yet, she realised it was just Percy, stood in the doorway with a slightly grin on his face. Watching her...

"Here." He said, holding out his arms. "Let me try."

Somewhat doubtful, Annabeth looked him up and down. Percy laughed.

"Come on! What? You afraid I'm going to drop her or something?" He demanded.

"That's exactly what I'm afraid of, seaweed brain." She replied. He grinned, and held out his arms again.

"I'm not going to drop her. Just- trust me on this one, wise girl."

Hesitating only a second longer, Annabeth gently placed her sister in his arms.

"Hey there." Percy whispered, stroking her cheek with his forefinger. Immediately, she stopped crying and looked at him inquisitively, her dark eyes wide. After a moment, her plump lips curved into a wide yawn. Percy laughed softly. "That was a big yawn if ever I saw one."

Barely a minute passed before she was sound asleep. Annabeth's eyes widened in wonderment.

"How did you do that?" She whispered. Percy shrugged.

"I've babysat before, you know."

Settled back in the living room, they reached a join agreement that they really didn't want to watch another film, so they curled up on the sofa with blue cupcakes, quiet music on in the background, sending chills up Annabeth's spine.

The lamp cast a soft halo of light on the living room. In the daytime, this was Annabeth's least favourite room. It was too large and too airy, with a giant carpet in rusty autumn colours as the only item in the centre of the room, a large bay window and little other furniture besides the bookcase, sofa and television.

At night, however, it was a wholly different story. The curtains shut out the outside world, making it feel much more cosy. The lamp in the corner came into full use, bathing the room in its dimmed down golden light, the sofa so much more comfortable and the room as a whole much less cold...

"Mmm." Muttered Annabeth appreciatively, licking blue icing off her finger as she curled up against Percy's chest. "The mess was worth it. These are good cupcakes."

"Mmm." Muttered Percy, his own mouth still full of cupcake. Suddenly, he sat up and leapt to his feet, almost dislodging Annabeth off his chest and onto the floor for the second time that evening. As it was, she only just managed to stay on the sofa.

He held out a hand. "Come on, wise girl. Dance with me?"

Pathetic puppy dog eyes. Annabeth sighed. How she ever managed to win a single fight with Percy was beyond her. Right now, there didn't seem to be much point in attempting it. Besides, this _was _her favourite song...

"What's got into you today?" She laughed, placing her hand in Percy's outstretched palm and allowing him to pull her up.

"Nothing." He said. "I just missed you is all. And this song reminded me of when we danced for the first proper time- you know, just after our second quest."

Annabeth smiled, allowing herself to be pulled slightly closer, putting her arms around his neck and bringing their lips so close together she could feel every breath he took, the salt water taste of his lips almost registering on her tongue...

"That's really sweet, Percy."

His eyes seemed to burn an even more intense and beautiful green than usual- as if every emotion had been made twice as vivid, and all of it was shown right here.

Annabeth bit her lip, and brushed her finger over the grey hair just visible by his left ear which, after fading a couple of years ago, had reappeared when they emerged from tartarus. As he met her eyes, unblinking, she realised they had stopped dancing.

She didn't want to move from this spot, though. With Percy's arms around her waist, his face mere inches from her own, the music floating all around them... It was perfection, captured in a single breath.

"Really, though." She whispered. "Why'd you want to dance?"

Percy shrugged. "I figured we could use some practice. If we're going to get married, I mean."

Annabeth's heart skipped a beat. She didn't dare hope...

"I'll pick out a date, shall I?" She whispered, unknotting her hands from his hair.

"Mmm hmm." Percy murmured, removing his hands from her waist and fishing a moment in his back pocket.

"What's this?" She asked blankly, looking at the velvet box. Suddenly, her breath caught in her throat, and (pulling away just barely) she clapped her hands over her mouth. "Oh my gods, Percy! I was joking!"

He shrugged in return. "Yeah, well. I wasn't."

Annabeth took a steadying breath, and put her hands back around his neck. "Well then, I guess I'm going to have to say yes."

"Hold on a minute!" Percy laughed. "I had this huge speech planned! I was going to get down on one knee and everything!"

Annabeth couldn't help it. She burst out laughing. "Big speech? One knee? You? Alright, this I have to see!"

Grinning, Percy got down on one knee and took her hand. "Annabeth Chase, we've survived through a whole lot of stuff. Gods, Titans, Gaia and a whole load of monsters. And I figured we only really survived because we were together. I couldn't have done any of it without you. And while I can't promise that the future is free of any of those things, or that we'll always be safe, I can promise that the future will never, ever find us parted every again. So... I guess... Wise girl, will you marry me?"

Annabeth grinned. "Holy Hades, Percy, that has to be the cheesiest, most cringeworthy thing you've ever said to me." She sighed. "And also the sweetest. So... I guess... Seaweed brain, yes I will."

Percy grinned, and slid the ring onto her finger. Their lips crashed together, and it felt like nothing either had ever experienced. Like the house could have caught on fire, neither of them would have known or cared. Suddenly, Annabeth pulled away.

"On one condition." She laughed, gasping slightly for air. Percy frowned.

"What?"

"There has to be blue cupcakes."

Percy laughed. "As to that, I think it would be a bit of a crime if there wasn't."

And when Frederick and Adri Chase arrived home to see both of them curled up on the sofa, completely knocked out (Percy drooling ever so slightly!), with a ring sparkling on Annabeth's finger and blue cupcake wrappers scattered all over the living room floor, they honestly couldn't have been happier...


	2. Demigod Parties and Two Sets of Parents

**Author's note: This isn't really a 'moment' as such, but so far it's just kind of writing itself... Hey, I finished it in under an hour! I'm proud. **

**I don't own Percy Jackson, much as I might wish I did... **

A good plan today is better than a perfect plan tomorrow~ George Patton

Athena, Goddess of Wisdom, thought the moment the invite appeared in her temple was not one she was likely to forget.

There she was, minding her own business, thinking about a few peace treaties she had to sign, a few books she had to read and a few armies she had to damn, when the wretched envelope fell into her lap.

At first glance, it appeared to be nothing special. Until the handwriting on the envelope caught her eye.

It was from Annabeth! Disregarding what she was doing immediately, she turned the cream coloured square over in her hands and broke the seal, which had her own personal symbol of the owl on it.

For a moment, she took no notice of the words, running her fingers slowly across the piece of card over which her daughter's warm hand had passed... She closed her eyes a moment, giving in to the weakness.

Annabeth Chase, her daughter. How she wished... How she wished she had been around to see her grow up. How she wished she had been around to see all her children grow up!

_Athena, _(it read, in perfect script.)

_I'll start with the simple. I am the daughter of the goddess of wisdom, after all, and I don't want you to spontaneously combust in rage before you know how Olympus is going. So the logical thing to do was to tell you that part first, before revealing the more complicated truth behind my writing. _

_The designs were completed a month back, and I am enjoying myself greatly, overseeing the renovations. It really is a shame you haven't been able to be spared to come and watch. It really would mean a lot if you could get away. _

_I won't go into the details here, because Percy says I'm stalling, and I can't be accused of that. So, here it is. I'm marrying seaweed brain, on the 7th June. Please don't incinerate him- or me for that matter. Only then you wouldn't be able to come wedding dress shopping with me and Sally Jackson, and I'd hate for you to miss out on that mother-daughter experience. _

_Percy and I both hope you can come, and once again, that you won't blow us into pieces. Only I quite like being whole, with all parts attached, and not a single piece turned to ash or some similar state. _

_Annabeth_

Once she had said a thousand words in ancient greek which she would never ordinarily say (for she was the Goddess of Wisdom, and it was not wise to use such demeaning language), she sighed and sat down with her head in her hands.

"Annabeth." She whispered. "My daughter."

And it was all she said for some time.

* * *

Poseidon was not used to receiving mail. Downside of living underwater almost all of the time, he supposed. So when a card addressed to him appeared, speared on a trident of some dim-witted citizen who had the misfortune of passing by the palace at the wrong time, he was, needless to say, rather excited.

It was clearly from Percy, he realised straight away. For one thing, it was in an air bubble which only _his _son would have known how to produce so professionally. For another, it was written in his handwriting.

"There you go, Athena." He mumbled. "If that isn't impressive deductive skills, I don't know what is."

Ripping open the letter with scarcely concealed impatience (cursing under his breath as his nail snagged on the seal, a trident, which he appreciated. It had been a while since he had seen a seal like that.) he flipped the card over and read eagerly.

_Dear Dad, _

_Oh my gods, it was quite cool to write that. Dad. Ha! Alright, I'll stop now, because I'm about to incur Annabeth's wrath, and nobody wants that. Least of all me. _

_So, Annabeth and I are getting married. Ha! That felt pretty cool to write, too. Annabeth and I. Married. Ha! Anyways... Sorry, I'm a bit excited. On the 7th of June, in the temple of Athena (so long as she doesn't turn us into dolphins or something. Although I think that'd pretty cool, Dionosys has first dibs on that particular honour, having threatened it quite a few times.) So, yeah. You're invited. _

_Also, we'd both really appreciate it if you don't do anything to offend Athena. Only she doesn't really like me, and this is going to be awkward enough as it is. _

_I really hope you can come. It'd be so cool to have you there. _

_Percy. _

Looking up, Poseidon grinned. Athena owed him 5 dramas! He'd won the bet about her daughter and his son! No, that wasn't it, was it? His son was getting married! Yes, that was definitely the right reaction. He hoped...

The God of the Sea felt like he was about to burst with pride. An entirely new sensation, if truth be told. He hoped it wouldn't cause any tidal waves or floods...

* * *

"Annabeth?" Frederick Chase shook his daughter's shoulder. "Annabeth?"

"Five more minutes." Annabeth moaned, rolling over.

"Well, that might make you late for meeting Percy." He had said the magic words. Annabeth shot up so fast, you'd have thought she'd been electrocuted.

"Holy Zeus!" She yelped. "Why didn't you mention that a bit earlier?"

"Well, I have been trying to wake you up for the past ten minutes." her father laughed. "Don't worry, I'll drive you to the airport."

"Thanks dad." his daughter smiled, kissing him on the cheek. "I'll just get dressed and stuff."

"I think that's a very good idea. Unless you feel like meeting Percy in your Pokemon pyjamas?"

Annabeth blushed slightly as she looked down. "I should probably buy some new ones before the wedding."

Her father grinned. "That's a good idea." He suddenly noticed his daughter's eyes, welling with tears. "Hey." He said, putting a hand under her chin and pulling her close.

"What's up? Anything you can tell your old dad?"

Sighing, she stomped her foot. "Everything's moving so fast, dad. There's so much to do, and it's only a year away, and I just feel like... Like- I don't know."

Frederick Chase nodded, wrapping his daughter in a tight hug. He knew _exactly _how she felt. It seemed like only yesterday she had arrived, in that stupid gold basket... He almost chuckled. How he had _ever _been reluctant to take her in was beyond him. Now, all he wanted was for time to stop, so he never, ever had to let her go...

"I know, Annabeth. But you love Percy, and he loves you, that much is clear to any idiot that ever walked the earth, human or otherwise. The rest will figure itself out, I promise you. When I look at you, I still see my little girl. But you've grown up so much in the past couple of years, I can barely recognise you. No father wants to give his daughter away. But when I look at Percy, he's everything I could hope for for you. And when I look at you together, there's so much love there,...Annabeth. I promise you, everyone feels like this when they start having to make these kinds of decisions. But you _are_ going to be fine. There's still plenty of time before the wedding to get everything sorted, don't you worry about a thing. And if you're that worried about the pyjamas, I'll get Adri to nip to the store and get you some new ones today."

Annabeth didn't have the heart to tell him she wasn't really bothered about the pyjamas. She pulled away, smiling. "Thanks Dad."

* * *

Percy couldn't for the life of him locate a pair of socks. He must have about twenty in his hand, but could he find a matching one? Of course not...

"For Apollo's sake." He muttered.

"Looking for this?" Asked a voice from the doorway. Percy spun around to see his mother standing, holding a bundle of socks in her hand, watching him with such an odd mixture of regret and pride he almost laughed.

"Mum!" He cried, throwing his arms around her. "Thank you!"

Sally Jackson laughed, pulling away. "Easy there, Percy, you're going to squeeze the life out of me. I'm not all invincible like the rest of you, you know."

"I know." Percy sighed. "And I love you, mum."

"I love you too. What's brought this on, hmm?"

"It just kind of dawned on me, you know. Next year, I'll be leaving home forever, starting a new life with Annabeth, the works."

"Percy, you're 21!" Laughed his mother, smiling fondly. "You don't live at home most of the time, anyway."

"Most of the time." Intoned Paul, coming up to stand beside Sally in the doorway. "The rest of the time you just hang around here demanding blue cookies and gods knows what else."

Sally laughed, shoving him playfully. "What we mean to say is, you had to grow up at some point. You're starting a new life with Annabeth, and it's new and it's exciting and it is scary, whoever you are. Even if you happen to be a son of Poseidon who's saved the world a billion and one times."

"We're really proud of you, Percy." Paul added, smiling.

"Thanks." Percy grinned, and to his utter humiliation found that tears were stinging in his eyes. "And I stay here like, once a month, Paul."

"Whatever." Shrugged Paul playfully. "Soon you won't even be around that much. And we're both going to miss you. And your blue cookies..."

"Just don't forget that you and Annabeth are welcome to come for Sunday lunch whenever you want. Or any other day of the week, for that matter." Sally smiled.

Percy hugged her. "I won't. Now I really have to go, or Annabeth will be accusing me of all sorts of horrible things, being late at the top of that list. No one holds up Annabeth Chase, especially not when she's returning to camp, and especially not when their name is Percy Jackson and they don't want to die a very painful death."

Paul chuckled as he watched Percy race out of the apartment. Sally watched him go with regret heavy in her face.

"My boy." She sighed, leaning back into Paul for support. "All grown up."

"He'll be back." Paul told her, running a hand through her hair.

"How do you know?" Sally asked sadly.

"He forgot his bag."

* * *

Percy tapped out a steady rhythm on the steering wheel with his fingertips as Annabeth fiddled with the radio, her foot tapping anxiously. "Traffic. On the first day of summer. We accounted for pretty much everything, but we managed to forget the traffic."

Percy smiled at her reassuringly. "We'll get there."

After a minutes silence, he became aware that she was watching him quite intently.

"What?" he asked, running a hand through his hair.

"How'd you get like that?" She asked, the strangest mix of biting impatience, curiosity and envy colouring her tone. "Act so laid back, like nothing in the world matters?"

"Well, maybe time doesn't matter so much when I'm with you."

She snorted. "Alright, I thought your proposal was cheesy, but that just- Gods, Percy, you're so sweet."

"Why you love me." He grinned.

"And arrogant, too, apparently."

"Hey, you're the one whose biggest flaw is being prideful. I'm just being truthful."

"Ugh." Annabeth ground her teeth. "When did you become so smart? That's my job, seaweed brain."

Percy smiled lopsided, in a way that made her heart race. As he took her hand, the ring glinted in the sun, almost blinding them both. Annabeth didn't think she'd have minded if it did...

"Noted." He whispered, as the traffic finally began to move.

* * *

As they drew up to halfblood hill, Annabeth's stomach began to tie itself in knots. She'd iris messaged Thalia, Piper, Hazel and Rachel with the news, but other than that, she hadn't told anyone... This was going to be fun.

"Hey." Said Percy, reminding her irresistibly of her father. "We're going to be alright, you know."

Annabeth Chase's grin was the widest Percy thought he'd ever seen, not to mention the most beautiful.

"I know." She replied calmly, as if she was stating another angle or measurement for her building or Rachel telling them the next days weather- it was stated with such certainty, Percy couldn't help but believe her...

Parking by the legendary strawberry fields, they both slowly climbed out, Annabeth waiting patiently as Percy locked the car and shouldered his bag (which they'd had to go back for, she might add. All the way from the airport, doubling back to his mother's apartment. Paul and Sally had found it hilarious), then walked around and took her hand.

Together, they raced down the hill, just as they had done, all those years ago, when leaving after the Titan war... Both of their laughter should have attracted every monster in a 20 mile radius, but none came. Of course they didn't. This was the happiest either had ever been...

"Hello." Chiron called, the sound of his hooves clattering on the porch making Annabeth's stomach ache with the familiarity of it all...

"Hey." Percy grinned in greeting. "Where is everyone?"

"I believe they're in Cabin 9." Chiron answered, an inexplicable smile lighting his face momentarily. "I'll accompany you. I think Leo has made some sort of ground breaking new discovery."

As they walked, Annabeth enjoyed the sight of the woods, and the feelings which arose from returning to the place which had provided not only a sanctuary but a home since she was 7 years old...

Most of all, however, she enjoyed the warmth of Percy's hand in her own, and the sound of his voice as he talked to Chiron. Now and again, he'd throw a smile in her direction, just for _her, _and her heart would give a jolt as if it had been shocked by paddles...

"Here we are." Laughed Chiron, throwing open the doors. Percy and Annabeth walked forwards, Annabeth turning to throw Chiron a suspicious glance.

"I thought you said everyone was here?" She asked, frowning.

"SURPRISE!" Was echoed on all sides as demigods of every description burst out from the unlikeliest of hiding places- ranging from underneath Leo's work bench to behind Festus the dragon...

Piper was the fastest, rushing forwards to greet them.

"Congratulations!" She cried, grinning from ear to ear.

"Let's see, let's see, let's see!" Rachel was the next, appearing behind Piper, her tone uncharacteristically girlish and excited as she grabbed Annabeth's hand, her and Piper admiring the ring that shone there even in the dim, artificial light of the bunker.

"Sorry- What?" Annabeth asked, still frowning in confusion.

"We might of, um, told a few people about your engagement." Hazel laughed, materializing beside Rachel.

"Who might of told a few people." Thalia laughed, hugging them both.

"Who might of, maybe, told a few people?"

"A few people." Muttered Percy faintly. Annabeth looked at him out of the corner of her eye, throwing him a smile and squeezing his hand.

"Ha!" Cried a triumphant voice as a flash went off which had the entire group grinning dazedly. "This is priceless! Your faces! Definitely going in the Percabeth scrapbook."

Clarisse stood nearby with Chris standing next to her, arms around her waist and head on her shoulder, both of them transfixed by the camera in Clarrise's hands. "You're right. This is one for the Percabeth wall of fame."

"Percabeth?" Annabeth heard a familiar voice inquire.

Blinking in surprise, she tried to take it all in. So many people seemed to be popping up out of thin air right now, but suddenly Jason Grace was smiling at her, his arm around Piper's waist...

"My mother. She's coming up with these weird couple names for everyone. For example, meet Frazel." Piper explained, rolling her eyes as she waved her hand over Hazel and Frank. "Anyways, congratulations once again, Percabeth."

She smirked at the name, meeting Jason's gaze with a grin.

Leo laughed. Annabeth hadn't seen him sneak up. Now that she looked properly, however, they were completely surrounded by grinning demigods, all eager to share their congratulations.

"Yeah, Percabeth. Congrats. Just, no kids just yet, please. A hormonal Annabeth is the very last thing we need around here."

"Yeah," Thalia chimed in, grinning mischievously. "We've got enough monsters around here already without adding one of out own!"

"Kids?" Asked Annabeth faintly. Percy made a noise in the back of his throat which indicated he hadn't thought that far ahead either. "Whoever said anything about kids?"

"Just messing with you." Said Leo, grinning like he was the devil himself. Annabeth raised an eyebrow at Percy.

"Holy Aphrodite." She muttered under her breath. "Did he say kids?"

Percy just smiled in return. This was going to be one _interesting _party...


	3. Learning to Compromise (Or Not)

**Author's note: This was meant to be a couple of important moments in Percy and Annabeth's life which would be used to break my writers block and which I would update occasionally, but it's kind of turned into a full on story. Ah, well. As my English teacher is always saying, I'm just the vehicle for a story that wants to be told. Actually, I think that's the thing she says when she's telling us how important it is to plan but... Meh. My story. **

**I don't own Percy Jackson. **

I can accept anything, except what seems to be the easiest for most people: the half-way, the almost, the just-about, the in-between. ~ Ayn Rand

"I like this one." Percy told her, looking around the 4 bedroom flat. "I mean, look at that view."

Tugging on her hand, he lead her to the window. Annabeth had to admit, she was _a little_ impressed... The flat was located so close to Central Park, you could see every little detail. But...

"I'm not sure, Percy." She told him. Running a hand through his hair, Percy looked at her in exasperation.

"What this time?" He asked. "It's a perfectly good flat, Annabeth."

"It's nice." She confessed. "But I don't like those support beams. And the angles for the living room are wrong, it's all too airy to give a proper cosy feel, and the study is all-"

"Okay, okay." Percy sighed. "But, just for the record, I really like this one."

Stiffening slightly, Annabeth pulled her hand out of Percy's, narrowing his eyes at him. "Good for you. But I thought we were meant to be finding a flat for _both _of us? As in, _both _of us have to like it."

"We are. Gods, Annabeth I was just saying! But maybe it is time you learnt to compromise just a _little._" Percy said, narrowing his eyes in return. She'd been so touchy lately! It took the smallest of things to set her off... Usually, Percy would have been more understanding, but she was trying his patience today. "Sorry. I just mean, you've vetoed 50 apartments so far, and I was just saying that maybe-"

"Fifty?" Asked Annabeth incredulously. "I don't think it's quite _fifty,_ Percy."

Looking up, the exhausted estate agent couldn't help himself. "49, actually, if you want to keep track."

Annabeth sent him a death glare that would have terrified a manticore. "Stay out of this." She snapped at him. She turned on Percy. "I'm sorry for trying to find us a perfect home. I'm sorry for wanting to find the perfect place to start our new lives together. I just wanted somewhere we could be happy, somewhere we could both feel comfortable. So I tell you what, if you like this apartment so much, why don't you buy it? I'm sure _you'd _be perfectly happy here on your own!"

Percy threw his hands in the air in frustration as she turned on her heel and marched out, thrusting the brochure into the estate agent's chest as she went, muttering under her breath about idiots who couldn't design decent apartments to save their lives.

"Annabeth!" Percy called, but she was already gone.

Sinking into one of the designer leather sofas, Percy put his head in his hands. Standing there, the estate agent had no idea what to say or do... He was a salesman, after all, not a social worker. He wasn't really equipped to deal with these kinds of situations, which was really quite stupid, because they came out so frequently he often felt more like a tissue than a sales rep.

They hadn't mentioned that in the job application, he thought to himself ruefully, looking at the young man on the sofa. There was something odd about this couple though, an intensity that he hadn't ever seen before, even though he'd been in this job for 10 years and the couple could only be late teens, early twenties at most...

He shook himself. Their relationship was none of his business, after all. Their money, on the other hand...

"I'm sure you'll work it out." he said, because his bank balance (at the very least) required him to say something. "I wouldn't be too hard on yourself. That girl, she'd try the patience of a god. Who knows, maybe apartment fifty will be the one?"

Percy sighed bitterly and sat up, the beginning of a smile forming in spite of everything... Try the patience of a god. Well, she most certainly did. More than one god, as it happened...

"Thanks. I'm sorry about, you know, wasting your time and everything."

The man waved his hand airily. "It's fine. Believe it or not, you're not the only engaged couple I've ever shown around this apartment. Got everything going for it, this one, but my boss still refers to it as the cursed cabin."

Despite himself, Percy had to smile. "Thanks. I'd better get off."

"No problem."

Thankfully, it didn't take Percy long to track Annabeth down. Probably because she was extremely predictable... She had very few regular haunts for when something got to her, so when she wasn't at his mothers, their favourite coffee shop or Olympus; Percy knew exactly where to find her.

"Thought I might find you here." He said, watching her from the doorway. Gaze snapping up so fast it was a wonder she didn't crick her neck, she tried (extremely unsuccessfully) to hide the project she had, up until a couple of seconds ago, been working on.

"Sorry." He said, walking over to sit down on the cushy couch beside her desk, which she had put in just for days like this, when he came to visit her at work... "For, you know, everything. I guess I just didn't realise how much this meant to you. For the record, it means a lot to me too. All I want is for you to be happy, and if that means looking at another 50 or even a hundred more apartments where the support beams aren't right or the measurements are dodgy or- I don't know, the roof is too sloped or something, that's fine by me."

Annabeth's shoulders shook with sobs as she buried her face in his t-shirt. Stroking her hair, Percy found himself completely tongue tied. What had he said wrong this time? Gods, he was so stupid! He could never seem to say the right thing at the right time. IN fact, he couldn't seem to say the right things at all anymore!

"I'm sorry, I-"

"Stop doing that!" Annabeth exclaimed, stamping her foot as she pulled away. Percy noted, with guilt heavy in the pit of his stomach, that her eyes were still puffy and sore from all the crying.

"Doing what?"

"Being so damn understanding when I'm being a mad, psychotic cow! Being all patient and perceptive!"

"I- I'm sorry?" Was all Percy could stammer.

Annabeth burst out laughing. It was a vision Percy hoped would stay with him forever, with her head thrown back, biting on her bottom lip as her eyes sparkled. "Gods, Percy, what did I ever do to deserve someone like you?"

Percy understood that to mean he was in the all clear. "So, what are you designing?"

"It's stupid." Annabeth said hurriedly. Too hurriedly. Not only did Percy want to know the meaning behind the reaction, he was more curious than ever about what she was working on, seething with scarcely concealed curiosity...

"Okay, now I really want to know." Percy murmured, slipping his arms around her waist and pulling her close, wiping a stray curl out of her face and getting rid of a lone tear with his thumb.

"You won't laugh?" She whispered, somewhat hoarsely. Raising an eyebrow, Percy looked at her with incredulous eyes. Puppy dog eyes, to be exact. Damn him!

"When have I ever laughed at you?" Percy asked. Annabeth raised an eyebrow. "Alright, when have I ever laughed at you over something important?" he amended quickly...

"Fine." Muttered Annabeth. "Just- when you inevitably burst into hysterics over my stupidity, try to do it quietly. Save as much of my pride as you can, you know."

Percy rolled his eyes. "Well, I can't promise anything. Just show me the design, wise girl, I swear on the river Styx; I will NOT laugh!"

Sighing, Annabeth reached behind the design of the statue of Minerva which was going to go up in New Rome, for a piece of card. A holographic image of the design appeared before them, and Percy's breath caught in his throat.

"Is this-?"

"Um... Yes?" Annabeth muttered. "I was hoping we'd see something similar today, or yesterday, or the day before. But I didn't see anything even close."

"Of course you didn't!" Laughed Percy. "There's won't have been anything built like this, ever, in the history of the Gods, I can pretty much guarantee. Annabeth, you have to build this apartment!"

"What?" Annabeth asked blankly.

"We're not ever going to find an apartment _this _perfect, it's like impossible, it's too good and too uniquely suited to us. Besides, we both know that you'd never really be comfortable in a building someone else designed. So it makes sense that we should just build this apartment, doesn't it?"

Annabeth looked at him. "Gods, I thought I told you to stop doing that! When did you get so clever? Why didn't I think of that? It's absolute genius... Okay, so I'll have to add in another door here, and-"

"Stop." Percy told her, putting his hand over hers. "It's perfect as it is."

Grinning from ear to ear, Annabeth threw her arms around his neck, the taste of the ocean already on her lips. And when they overbalanced and went crashing to the floor, non of her colleagues complained (if any heard at all, that was).

* * *

"Here we are." The builder told them. "Apartment 50."

"Fifty?" Both of them echoed, exchanging an astounded look.

"Yeah." The builder said, confused as he looked from Annabeth to Percy and back. "It's apartment number 50, that's just how it falls. We can change it, if you-"

"No, no." Annabeth grinned. She looked as if she'd just been told that Christmas, her birthday _and _the summer solstice had just come all at once. "Apartment number 50 is perfect. Come on."

Percy watched Annabeth as she twirled around the empty room/construction site, her hair in it's signiture ponytail, orange camp halfblood sweater, (non-magical!) yankees cap and torn old jeans. Secretly, he thought she had never looked more beautiful. There was still a lot of work to be done, that much was clear. But for the first time, Annabeth wasn't the only one who could envision what it'd look like, once it was done...

"There'll be a rug here. The one we bought at that market the other week, in New Rome, remember? And this wall will be blue- ooh, we could create like an underwater theme for the kitchen. And yellow here, I don't know why but they always go really well together, and maybe that coffee table your mother bought us over there-"

Percy watched, smiling, as she designed their new home. Suddenly she turned, smiling from ear to ear.

"Can't you just see it now?"

"Yeah. I really can." Percy answered, taking her hand as they looked out the window onto the park opposite. It might not be central park, but Percy secretly thought it was better.

Apartment 50, he marvelled... Who'd have thought it? That estate agent was a genius, and if Percy ever saw him again, he promised himself, the man would be getting the biggest tip in the history of the world...

* * *

"I'm going now, seaweed brain!" Annabeth called. She had just been straightening the housewarming gift her mother had sent them- a tapestry, showing Annabeth and Percy kissing underwater, reminiscent of the one she had seen in Arachne's cave... It was equally, if not more beautiful, with the glowing strands of silk, so realistic it might have been a photograph, and covering an entire wall all by itself.

"Coming!" called Percy. Predictably, he was in the kitchen. When he came through, however, she was surprised to see the apron he was wearing, and the smudge of flour on his cheek. Was he baking?

"I'll be back about 6, I think." She informed him, kissing him on the cheek as she grabbed her car keys and bag.

"Tell Rachel not to spend all my money!" Percy called after her.

"I'll try!" Annabeth laughed, already halfway down the hall. At the door, she turned and blew him a kiss, before running down the corridor to the elevator, anxious not to be late.

"Here comes the bride!" laughed Rachel, leaping up to greet her.

"In her camp halfblood sweater and jeans." Annabeth agreed, hugging her friend as she rolled her eyes, then turning to greet the others. "Clarisse. You came!"

"Course I came." Clarisse groaned. "You asked me to be your bridesmaid, didn't you? Gods, and they told me that you're meant to be the clever one! Let's get this over with quickly. I hate shopping."

Piper groaned in return. "Shopping." she muttered.

"You're the daughter of Aphrodite!" Clarisse protested. "You're meant to love shopping!"

"_Meant_ to." Laughed Hazel.

"Whatever." Clarisse said. "Just stick me in a potato sack. Or, even better, jeans and t-shirt."

"Five bridesmaids." Annabeth sighed. "And a flower girl. Holy Aphrodite, I had to make it difficult for myself."

"Cheer up." Piper laughed, taking her arm.

After listening to "I'm going to the chapel." twelve times, however, Annabeth didn't really feel like 'cheering up.'

"Blue, or green." She told them as they arrived at Aphrodite's department store. "Knock yourselves out. But no poison, or suicide."

Clarisse scowled. "Easy for you to say."

"Oh, no. It _really _isn't." Annabeth sighed under her breath. This was going to be one _long _day.

* * *

Percy looked anxiously at the clock. An hour until Annabeth came home, and he wasn't even half finished... Whoever invented cooking should be shot, like, right now.

"Sorry, dude." He told the dead sea bass on his chopping board. "I hope you had a long, happy life." He mimed the sign of a cross over the fish. "I hope you rest in peace, in my stomach."

"Green beans, carrots, rice." He muttered under his breath, ticking each thing off the imaginary list in his head. "Jamie Oliver makes this look so easy. From now on, I'm just gonna order a pizza, so I don't start talking to a dead fish, you know. First sign of madness and all that..."

The radio blared over the sound of the boiling water as Percy almost chopped his fingers off cutting the vegetables. Then, there was desert to contend with. Blue cookies were harder to make than they looked, as it turned out.

Sighing in defeat, he grabbed his keys off the side and ran to the store to buy some packet mixutre, while the picture of Athena Annabeth had insisted on putting up in the kitchen looked down on him disapprovingly.

"What?" He demanded, as he yanked off the apron. "I'm desperate!"

"And, voila!" he laughed, pulling the grilled dish from the oven and squeezing lemon juice over it. "You know, I don't know why people always make cooking out to be so hard. It's quite easy, really. And I'm still talking to a dead fish, aren't I? Oh man, I think I need to spend a bit more time with people other than Annabeth."

The door banged open. Percy barely had time to put the plate on the table before Annabeth's voice echoed through the apartment...

"Percy?" She called out.

"In here!" He yelled back, grinning to himself as he imagined her face when she saw all this.

"I'm really tired, Perce, you don't mind if I don't cook do you? We could just order a takeaway and watch-" She turned around, and her jaw dropped, as did the multiple bags she was holding... "Holy Hades."

"You know, we can still order a takeaway if you want. I liked where that sentence was going, but it would be a bit of a waste, considering my efforts today."

"Oh my gods, Percy!" Annabeth laughed, running over to hug him. "Hang on, just let me get the camera. Never thought I'd see the day you'd cook something, seafood at that! Hang on... How'd you work this thing?" She glowered at the camera, before finding the shutter button. "Ah. Smile, seaweed brain. I need to document this for future generations!"

It was some of the best food that Annabeth had ever tasted... Even if Percy had overdone the lemon juice ever so slightly, and there was the faint taste of blood on her fish, and the cookies were most definitely store bought.


	4. Our First Christmas

**Author's note: Thank you so much for all the reviews! I have been over the moon since I saw them yesterday afternoon, and I think I will most probably continue to be until the day I die. To everyone who reviewed, you are just about my favourite people in the world right now... SO HAPPY! **

**Also, to Bandit Keith (guest): Thanks for your review. I found it really quite thought provoking, and I can completely see your point. I know it's completely rude of me, since it IS an American book and an American site, but I'm not going to write in American for the simple reason that it wouldn't seem right. I'd feel like an idiot, and I'd sound like one too. And I'd offend all of you with my extremely poor representation of American culture and language. You can make fun of us with our strange accents, because I do it on a regular basis. Say 'afternoon' in a posh British accent- it's really funny! No one actually talks like that, though. Just so you know. I'm actually from North Yorkshire, which you've most probably never heard of, but we're the least posh people you'll ever meet. Anyways, I'm really sorry about the whole English interpretation of an American story (I also apologize way too much. Apparently that's a British thing, too. And now I'm apologizing for an apology. I'll shutup.) I'm learning Spanish at the moment, that's enough as far as the new languages go… which I know is terrible of me, and I suppose you have every right to be offended, but I'm not going to change how I write because it would be as bad as lying in front of a priest. So if anything seems inaccurate or false in this story, I apologize yet again in advance. Consider this my disclaimer of sorts. Also, I didn't realize I had used any English phrases. If you can be bothered, tell me which ones? I'm curious… So, yeah. This was about twice as long as it should be, but my point is, if you want to read my story, you're going to have to take it, warts an all. Meaning, you'll have to put up with the 'simply spiffing's 'well played Daphne's and the 'how marvelous's. Unless there's a google translate for English to American?**

**And, to SpinningHyperCookie: I hadn't thought of that, actually. I was thinking about it last night, and I've decided it's genius, but I have one problem: I can't write to word limits. I have a friend who jokes that it should be illegal, since I always write too much... It's why my chapters are such a varied length, I don't have enough control to make it as long or short as I wish, which is my biggest downfall as a writer. I'll write my special Hannah oneshots, as in they won't be confined to 100 words, but they'll sort of be confined to one theme, if you get what I mean? Thank you so much for the review! **

**I think what I've just written might be longer than the actual chapter... Sorry about that! **

Keep love in your heart. Life without it is like a sunless garden where all the flowers are dead~ Oscar Wilde

Christmas seemed to dawn especially fast that year, and suddenly Annabeth was hanging decorations over the mantlepiece...

It would be the first Christmas they had spent together, in their new apartment, and Annabeth couldn't say she wasn't excited.

Percy, it appeared was rather excited, too...

"Put me down!" She squealed, through hysterical laughter, her legs flailing as she tried to reach the step ladder he had just lifted her off.

"Not likely." Laughed Percy, his arms around her waist as he swung her in a circle and then placed her on the ground. Annabeth turned around to face him, smiling, tweaking the Santa hat he was wearing.

"Hmm." She mumbled as his lips pressed against hers. "Maybe we should make it Christmas more often."

She could feel him smiling against her lips as he pulled her even closer and tugged gently on her ponytail...

"Definitely." He said, pulling away triumphantly, holding the stocking she had been _trying _to put up.

Annabeth raised an eyebrow, but he had a devilish smile lighting his face, and she already knew the battle was lost...

"Give me."

"Make me!"

"Oh, I intend to." She laughed. He grinned, and leapt over the back of the sofa in order to get a head start. She chased after him, laughing as a trail of miscellaneous Christmas decorations followed her...

* * *

When Annabeth stepped out of the apartment block that morning, her first thought was that the entire landscape looked rather whiter than usual... With a jolt of shock, she realised that it was, in fact, snowing.

The snowy carpet was crisp beneath her feet, the ground making a delightful crunching noise with every step she took, the flurry of snow flakes falling around her making her feel as if she were momentarily 5 years old again...

"I love snow." She whispered to herself, laughing aloud as she drew up to the coffee shop in which she was meeting Rachel.

Apparently, however, Rachel didn't feel much like staying inside when it snowed, either. She was stood on the opposite side of the street, her arms wide as if to embrace the world, her tongue stuck out as she caught snowflakes.

She was wearing earmuffs, and flakes of snow formed a pretty sort of dusting over her vivid red hair. A heavy coat covered her jeans and camp half blood t-shirt, and chunky black snow boots were visible even from where Annabeth stood on the pavement at the opposite side of the road.

"Hey there!" Annabeth called. Rachel's eyes flew open, and a ludicrously happy smile crossed her lips. She skipped across the road/ice rink, and hugged Annabeth.

"Here she is! The bride to be!"

"Will you stop that?" Annabeth laughed, though it made her happy all the same. Her ring finger seemed to tingle, the prettily cut, elegant diamond shining extra bright. "We're just Christmas shopping! It's nothing to do with the wedding."

"Yeah, well." Rachel shrugged, grinning a mischievous smile that was sort of reminiscent of Percy's, which told her just how much her friend was enjoying teasing her...

"Come on." Annabeth asked. "We have some serious shopping to do."

Filtering through the racks of clothes, Annabeth stopped suddenly as her ring caught the light next to Rachel's hand, and an idea occurred to her out of the blue.

"Do you miss it?"

"What?"

"You know, everything you gave up to become the oracle. The whole dating thing."

Rachel sighed as she pulled out a make the perfect hot chocolate set from a shelf nearby. "This'll be perfect for Piper."

Annabeth took that to mean she didn't want to talk about it. Which was why she was extremely surprised when, whilst she was looking at blue jumpers for Percy, Rachel suddenly burst out from somewhere behind her, sounding as if she was holding back a mountain of frustration and annoyance.

"Yes." Annabeth turned to look at her. Rachel stepped up next to her, scrolling through the same rack, which Annabeth took to mean she didn't want to look at her as she made her next admission. "It's really hard, and I try not to think about it. Sometimes I think, when I'm looking at you guys, or Piper and Jason or Leo and Calypso or Frank and Hazel or even Chris and Clarisse, anyone really, that maybe it wasn't worth it. I gave up an entire future... But I love being the oracle, and I love the fact that I've found a safe way to be involved in your world, the only way a puny mortal like me could possibly be involved. I'm not about to give that up, either. Wherever I look, there are sacrifices. This, this was just the one sacrifice I could bear to make."

Annabeth looked her friend up and down, as if seeing her the first time.

"I met this guy." Rachel confessed suddenly, biting on her bottom lip. "Mortal, of course. He's a friend of my dads, but he's- well, long story short, I like him. And I can't do anything about it. Sucks to be me."

"Certainly does." Annabeth muttered. She couldn't think of anything to say to Rachel that would make any difference, and she couldn't think what it would be like to be in her place. Suddenly, she was very, _very _glad that she chose not to join the hunters... Rachel's words seemed to echo in her ears.

_"I gave up an entire future." _

* * *

"Is it still snowing?" Annabeth asked, looking up from Percy's chest to the window, which was pointless, since they'd drawn the curtains anyway.

Percy heaved to his feet and walked to the window. Annabeth took in the street lights, and the large flakes the illuminated as they spiralled to the ground.

"Yep." Percy muttered. "Still snowing."

Annabeth grinned. A crazy idea had just occurred to her... She leapt to her feet and tugged Percy to the door, pulling on her coat as she went.

"Come on."

"This is stupid." Percy told her as she pulled him across the street to the park adjacent from their house. "And cold. Come on, let's go back inside."

Annabeth laughed, and the sound seemed to completely light up the street. "Come on, seaweed brain. Lighten up a little bit. It never snows in San Fransisco. Or, hardly ever. I've seen snow before all of three times. This is exciting!"

Percy watched her with a slight smile on his face. Picking up a handful of snow from the ground and moulding it into a snowball, he felt a sudden something cold and hard smash into the back of his neck, and his skin sting from the cold.

"Oh, it's on!" He laughed, pelting Annabeth with snowballs as she did the same, squealing in protest as one went down the back of her coat. It wasn't until half an hour later that, sopping wet and freezing cold, they were forced to admit defeat and head inside.

At the door, Annabeth caught him by the shoulder and pressed her lips against his. Hers felt cold against his, and her nose was practically an icicle. Her hands, finding their way to the back of his neck, felt frozen solid.

It was one of the best kisses they had ever shared.

* * *

"Ugh." Annabeth whispered, rolling over onto her side to stare at the clock on the beside table. "What time is it?"

"Too early." Percy mumbled quietly. "Go back to sleep."

"Not likely." Annabeth sat up, rubbing her eyes and shaking his shoulder. "It's Christmas! Percy, wake up! It's Christmas!"

She hadn't been this excited since her first proper Christmas, at camp half blood when she was seven, and that had been different. It had been marred slightly by the sadness of Thalia's supposed passing, 6 months before, so that it was almost an occasion of grieving as well as celebration.

Today, it seemed like pure and undiluted joy was running through her veins, rendering her incapable of sitting still. It was Christmas!

Percy cracked open an eyelid and grinned at her. Sarcastic and beautiful. She leant across the pillows and planted a kiss on his cheek, before running into the kitchen to make pancakes, grinning at the sight of the Christmas tree in the living room which they had decorated together almost a month ago.

As she worked, she hummed Christmas carols under her breath, grinning to herself happily. Halfway through, Percy came through, kissing her on the cheek before sitting at the breakfast bar, sticking on some music and smiling as he watched her work...

Percy's face as she slid the pile of _blue _pancakes across the table looked like he was thinking this was better than six Christmas's coming all at once... He looked about five years old (even more so than he usually did!) and she couldn't help but laugh.

"Presents!" Percy announced, pushing his plate away. Annabeth grinned.

"Alright then, presents it is. They're all in the living room. I put them under the Christmas tree last night."

"This one." Annabeth announced, following him into the living room, a slightly anxious air about her as she pulled a rectangular parcel from under the tree and dropped it into his lap. "Is from me."

Percy held the parcel to his ear, as if expecting it to spout a mouth and start talking in French, and then shook it. Then, he weighed it in one hand, as if trying to work out how many bags of sugar it could fit. Annabeth rolled her eyes, and pushed him into the arm of the sofa playfully. "Holy Hera! Just open the damn present."

Percy grinned at her, and began to carefully unpick each bit of cellotape, as if ripping a single corner would result in the end of the world. Annabeth punched him.

"Just messing!" Percy laughed, tearing the wrapping down the centre so it fell off in a heavy sheet of red and gold paper. He stared at the leather bound book a moment, crease in his brow. "What is it?"

Annabeth rolled her eyes again for his benefit. "Just turn it over and look inside." She ordered. Percy turned it over, and gasped.

"Is this what I think it is?"

"Mmm hmm. I got Clarisse to give me copies of every 'Percabeth' photo she had, and then bugged Chiron and your mum until I had a complete collection. You'd be really surprised by how many there are, there are loads, dating back to your first day at camp."

Percy laughed, and opened the book up onto the first page. Sure enough, there he was, completely knocked out and drooling ever so slightly, with Grover there next to him; grinning and giving the camera thumbs up.

He turned over each page as if it were made of glass, reliving each memory as he went, smiling and laughing with each turn of the page.

Eventually, he looked up and hugged Annabeth so tight she thought all the breath was going to be squeezed out of her lungs...

"Seaweed. Brain. Can't. Breath." She stuttered. He pulled away, grinning from ear to ear.

"And to think, I just got you jewellery."

Annabeth couldn't help it. She burst out laughing.

It was the perfect first Christmas, and, with a bit of luck, the first of many...


	5. Weddings Eve

**Author's note: Hahaha! A chunk of chapter for you to go to sleep on. Night night, don't let the bed bugs bite! Or, if you're somewhere else, good morning, good afternoon and whatever else there is! I hope you have a simply wonderful Monday/Sunday. Nothing like a bit of Percabeth for every time of the day! **

**I don't own Percy Jackson. If I did, I'd conquer the world, find a way to defeat time zones and get rid of the apocalyptic ducks, except oreO (she'd know who she was if she read this), because she's awesome. Just saying! **

Today I choose to feel life, not to deny my humanity but to embrace it~ Kevyn Aucoin 

Annabeth stared at herself critically in the mirror, brushing back a curl behind her ear before pulling it back out again. The earrings Percy had given her for Christmas hung from her ears, but otherwise she could scarcely recognise herself.

The dress she wore was an Aphrodite special, silvery grey with a sheer back and a soft flowing skirt. Though it _was _an extremely pretty dress, Annabeth was entirely uncomfortable.

And the heels... Holy Hera, why had she agreed this? She ran a hand through her hair, before remembering how long it had taken to twist the bun at the nape of her neck, and immediately stopped.

Percy wasn't looking that comfortable, either. If Aphrodite had disliked Annabeth's initial outfit of a skirt and vest top, she completely despised Percy's jeans and t-shirt ensemble. He now wore a suit tie with a collared shirt and black trousers, and looked so awkward Annabeth had to bite her lip to stop herself laughing...

"Come on. If I don't break my neck on the way down the stairs in these gods forsaken shoes, we have a party to go too."

Sighing, Percy followed her out of the room, casting a last uneasy glance at the mirror as he went.

"You look nice." he told her, taking her hand on the lift down. Annabeth smiled, and kissed him on the cheek.

"You're looking very debonair yourself." she informed him. Percy groaned.

"Remind me why we're doing this again."

Annabeth furrowed her brow, trying to remember. "Oh my gods. Do you know, I don't actually have any idea."

"So we couldn't just skip this stupid ritual-y thing, go back upstairs and order a pizza?"

For a moment, Annabeth looked tempted. Suddenly, she sighed. "No. The gods have spent weeks organising this. They'd be offended, and Hera would probably set those infesternal cows on us, yet again."

Percy grimaced at the very idea... On second thoughts, maybe he could deal with an uncomfortable suits. Consider it practice for tomorrow and all.

* * *

"We won't stay late." She told him as they climbed into a taxi. "We'll pay our respects, say hi to everyone, then go home."

"Everyone?" Percy asked, arching an eyebrow as his stomach plummeted at the very thought.

"Alright, a few people."

"What's the point?" Percy mumbled. "We've managed to offend every single god out there anyway, we might as well just stay at home and eat pizza."

"Remind me why I'm marrying you again?" Annabeth exclaimed in exasperation.

"Because I'm awesome?" Percy asked, catching the eye of the driver in the rear mirror with a grin.

"Might have something to do with that." Annabeth admitted, kissing him again.

Annabeth Chase had seen misery, hopelessness and pain, and experienced a thousand other things no creature, god or titan on earth should have had to deal with, let alone a half mortal child of Athena. But, sat in the back of a taxi on the way to her engagement party on the eve of her wedding... Well, she thought, it was all most definitely worth it.

* * *

When they entered, an entire temple full of gods and demigods fell silent, and turned to look at them. They clutched at each others hands. Even for them, this went beyond weird.

Suddenly, everyone broke into applause, smiling and cheering. Bewildered, it was all they could do to exchange confused looks before the entire guest list went back to whatever it was they had been doing before they arrived, as if nothing at all had happened.

To say that both of them were a tad unnerved by the greeting would have been understatement of the year. Then again, that was the gods for you...

One thing was absolutely clear: the party was already in full swing, and had been for a while... Ares was bellowing drunkenly, his arm around Frank and Clarisse (both of whom looked highly uncomfortable.) Dementer was complaining loudly about the fact that the buffet wasn't serving cereal, as she had suggested. Apollo was playing some rather beautiful music, up on the stage which had been constructed at the far end of the temple. Aphrodite was bragging about how much of a hand she'd had in this union. Hera looked like she'd been forced to swallow a months worth of sour grapes, and kept shooting unhappy glances at Thalia and Jason as she talked with her husband. Dionysus was playing pacman in the corner.

Why there was a pacman game in the temple at all, Percy had no idea.

Grover could be seen, talking nervously to Juniper about his best man's speech tomorrow, Jason and Thalia catching up in the table next to his, Hazel and Piper sat at the far corner of the room laughing as if this were a completely normal party setting. Tyson and Ella were laughing, the oddest couple Percy thought he'd ever seen, though there was Coach Hedge and Mellie, who percy had to admit made a pretty odd union, too...

Athena was staring around in disdain, whilst Poseidon bragged loudly about the impressive feats Percy had managed over his time at Camp Halfblood, acting the proud father everyone knew he was.

But it was Sally and Paul which drew Percy's eye almost the moment he entered the room. Aside from Rachel, who was always quite at her ease in this sort of atmosphere, they were the only mortals here. Granted, they looked a little unsure, but their proud smiles as they told whoever asked about their relationship to the 'happy couple's practically lit up the room full of gods and heroes and _un_mythical creatures...

Annabeth, on the other hand, was looking at her father, happily talking to Malcolm.

"Do you mind if I-" They both started at the same time, before looking at each other and breaking into grins.

"See you in a bit, Seaweed brain." Annabeth smiled, kissing him on the cheek as she made a beeline for her dad.

"Annabeth!" He exclaimed, in evident joy. It was clear to Annabeth that he had been finding it extremely difficult to avoid looking at Athena, and that his daughter's arrival had been a welcome distraction.

"Hey, dad. I see you've met Malcolm!"

"Oh, yes." Her dad laughed. "He says he's your second in command."

"Um, yeah. Well, technically I'm not a camper anymore, so he's first. And he always pretty much managed the Athena cabin on his own. I was away a lot on quests and stuff, you know."

Malcolm glowed with the praise, and Annabeth figured he'd earned it. "I'm off to speak to mum." He said, making a tactful retreat. "I'll speak to you later, okay? Congratulations."

They both watched him walk away, before her dad turned to her. "You look lovely." He offered.

Annabeth took the seat next to him, smiling despite herself. "Thanks, dad."

"So, tomorrows the big day, huh?" He asked, letting out a high pitched laugh. He sounded terrified by the very prospect...

"Yep." Annabeth smiled, knotting her hands in her lap and sitting down in the seat Malcolm had just vacated, pretending to survey the party but in reality just enjoying the first quiet moment with her dad she'd had in ages... Even if it was one of the least quiet atmospheres this side of the doors of death.

"You nervous?"

Annabeth frowned, accepting a glass of champagne from a passing faun. "It hasn't really occurred to me that I should be. I guess. I don't know, it just seems so surreal at the moment. I can't really comprehend that it actually is happening- and tomorrow at that." Changing the subject, she frowned. "Is Andri not here?"

"No. She's looking after your brothers and sister in the hotel room. She thought it'd be better for us two to have some time together." He frowned, dipping his finger in some melted candle wax, and it struck Annabeth how much she looked like her father... And how much she really _was _like him.

* * *

"Mum?" Percy asked, coming up to her. She spun around, and her lips curved into a smile which contained so much happiness, it made Percy's heart expand and glow in his chest.

"Percy! Oh, don't you look dashing!"

Paul smiled, but didn't say anything. Paul was good like that, good at sensing when words were needed and when looks could work just as well.

"Thanks, mum." Percy laughed, sitting down next to her and throwing her an extra happy smile of his own. It was just hitting him that this was _really _happening... He was _really _getting married in the morning. It seemed like only yesterday Annabeth had been telling him he drooled in his sleep.

The memory almost made Percy snort into the glass of champagne a nearby waiter pressed upon him.

"Everything sorted for tomorrow?" His mum asked.

"Yeah, I think so." Percy laughed. He was holding in so much nervous energy, it was a wonder he hadn't spontaneously combusted yet... If this was what Leo felt like all the time, let it be said that Percy did not envy him. Not one bit. "Bit late now if it isn't. But, yeah... The gods have really thrown themselves into this wedding, more so than you would have expected. Did you know they've each given us a gift? It's quite cool, actually. Dementer even gave us a lifetime of cereal! Hera most probably gave us a lifetime of cursed cows, but I won't think about that right now."

Paul laughed, before realising both Percy and Sally were deadly serious. His mouth fell open as he watched them both.

"Besides." Percy continued. "Annabeth always has a plan. There's no way she'd ever let anyone forget anything. Not today."

Sally laughed. "So long as _you_ don't forget to turn up."

Percy laughed. "There's always that possibility, I think. Fingers crossed for me, mum."

"If it looks like you're going to be late, I'll turn up with a thousand years worth of fresh baked blue cookies to wake you up, don't you worry. There is no way I am letting you miss tomorrow."

Percy felt his eyes droop slightly with tiredness, and thought he might actually have to hold her to that.

* * *

"I'll see you tomorrow." Annabeth told him, fiddling with the keycard to the hotel room in her hand.

"What's tomorrow?" Percy asked in mock surprise. Annabeth punched him playfully, then sighed. She hated tradition more than anything, she had decided long ago- she felt like she could use Percy this evening, calm the nerves which her dad had sparked and which now showed no sign of going away. Yet apparently the bride had to sleep away from the groom on the eve of her wedding, so here she was.

"I am deadly serious, seaweed brain, if you mess up-"

"I know. Divorce warrant, blah blah blah. Extremely painful death, blah blah blah. Demigod pancake, blah blah blah. One very happy Athena, blah blah blah." Percy smirked, and Annabeth felt her stomach flip. It's only one night, she scolded herself.

Yet every second she spent with Percy made it harder to jam that stupid piece of plastic in the hotel door and get some much needed beauty sleep...

"Well, see you at the temple. I'll be the one in white." She muttered, thinking that it was probably best not to test her self restraint any further. And yet...

Percy caught her by the arm, grinning. "Don't I get a kiss for luck? It's kind of tradition, right?"

Annabeth laughed. Maybe tradition wasn't so bad after all...

* * *

The apartment seemed empty without Annabeth in it. Percy had never really realised how big it was before, or how quiet. The tapestry of him and Annabeth, aside from making him feel all fuzzy and weak at the knees with longing, seemed sort of freaky in the dark...

Shaking himself mentally, Percy flicked on the TV. After half an hour, he was forced to admit there wouldn't be anything interesting enough to occupy him tonight. He should probably try to get some sleep. After all, jokes aside, it really would not do for him to oversleep tomorrow...

But his stomach was flipping and tieing itself in knots and tightening the works. A strange mixture of excitement and nerves made him feel even more awake then if he'd drank a thousand cups of nectar. He could scarcely sit still.

After making himself a midnight snack (you can't blame a guy for being hungry!) he threw himself back down on the couch, not knowing what to do with himself... Usually, he'd ask Annabeth. His fingers itched. The phone number for her hotel room was on the side, in case of emergencies, surely it couldn't harm? One quick phone call?

He shook himself again. Suddenly, without thinking through what he was doing, as if he wasn't really in control of his own body, he lunged for the phone.

Everything on the table, from phone books to holiday brochures, fell to the floor with a resounding thud. Cursing his own stupidity, Percy jumped off the sofa and knelt to pick them all up.

Once he had stacked them all in a neat pile once more, he laid flat on his back, staring at the ceiling. Pensive thoughts overtaking him, he shifted about on the carpet they'd bought in New Rome, trying to get uncomfortable.

Was it just him, or was there something underneath his head that there shouldn't be? The sharp corner of a book or something. He sat up, and yanked the leather bound thing up, irrationally frustrated.

Suddenly, he noticed what it was, and all his frustration leaked away in an instant. It was the photo album Percy had given her for Christmas- the one timetabling their entire lives together.

Flicking through the pages, laughing aloud though there was no one to hear, Percy Jackson finally drifted off to sleep with a head full of happy thoughts about the past and his heart brimming with happy hopes for the future. Certain of the joys the following dawn would bring...

And, for once in his life, he had a dreamless nights sleep.

* * *

Annabeth was restless, and she wasn't going to be switching off any time soon. That much was clear. She showered and washed her hair, before wandering the small suite brushing her teeth and humming cheesy wedding songs, the ones from her dad's equally cheesy romantic movies.

The following hour found her in a thousand different positions. She hung like a monkey from the sofa with her legs in the air, as if she was five again. She sat cross legged on the beside table (first removing the lamp, of course). She threw herself, face first, onto her bed. She curled up in the bottom of the wardrobe. She lay on her back on the bathroom floor. She even tried sitting in the bath for a while.

Nothing seemed to work.

Finally giving in to a sleepless night, she threw herself down on the bed once more, and grabbed her IPod from her overnight bag. Plugging in the headphones, she allowed the music to wash over her.

For the first time in her life, Annabeth Chase wasn't over thinking the decision she had made, the plan she had formed, the path she had followed. She loved Percy Jackson, and the simple fact of it would always remain. Aphrodite had taught her that much, at the very least...

Aphrodite. The name of the god jogged Annabeth's memory. A tea party... Suddenly, the words came back to her.

_I promised to always make your love life interesting._

Well, it had been interesting, to say the very least. For the first time, Annabeth didn't feel angry about everything she and Percy had had to go through to get to where they were right now. What had happened, after all, had happened.

Done was done.

Now, she was happy to be able to look forward to a thoroughly uninteresting love life. A future with Percy, a happy marriage, heck, maybe even kids... Her career as an architect was taking off. Percy had a steady job. Everything had come together. Even Athena had given them her blessing...

Percy was all there was, and all there ever would be for her. That was it. _He _was it.

What was there to over think?

As the music washed over her, Annabeth felt sleep embrace her with open arms, and only had time to smile as she realised what had happened. What an amazing spell the gods had woven over her...

"Thanks, Apollo." She mumbled.

_Night, Seaweed Brain. _


	6. The Wedding Day

**Author's note: Thank you for the review! People keep asking why I'm so hyperactive and happy recently, and I'm just like, oh I have awesome people reading my story... **

**I hadn't actually thought of doing a bachelor/bachelorette story. This chapter and the one before kind of just came to me, which is half a shame, because I wanted to do some more pre wedding chapters, but I quite like what I've written anyways. But if you have any ideas for what should happen in a bachelor/bachelorette chapter, let me know and I'll incorporate it in a flashback. It's an absolute genius idea. **

**I don't own Percy Jackson. If I did, it'd be full of cheesy wedding stuff which I didn't even realise I could write. **

Toto, I have a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore~ L. Frank Baum (I wanted to put something cheesy about the next great adventure in life and new chapters in a book, but this was better!)

Annabeth Chase was nervous. More nervous than she had been as she followed the mark of Athena into the weaver's liar. More nervous than she had been falling into Tartarus. More nervous than she had been running away from home at age 7. More nervous than she had been entering the labyrinth. More nervous than she had been approaching New Rome on the Argo II. More nervous than she had been when she had fought Luke in the Titan war. More nervous than she had been at the doors of death. More nervous than she had been when- well, you get the picture.

Clarisse looked odd in her seaweed green bridesmaid dress. Uncomfortable. Annabeth smiled slightly to herself, not because of Clarisse's discomfort, but because of the thought of what Silena would say, were she here...

Rachel came in slowly, carrying Annabeth's plastic wrapped wedding dress carefully, as if it were made of glass. Piper, Hazel and Thalia followed, all of them looking especially pretty in their bridesmaid dresses.

They all helped her dress, laughing and talking, Clarisse still a little uncomfortable. Hazel, for some reason, seemed to put her at her ease. Annabeth had to confess herself surprised. Hazel and Clarisse? They were complete opposites...

"You're ready." Piper announced, smiling.

_Am I?_ Annabeth couldn't think straight... Everything was moving so fast! She wasn't prepared for this, any of it! What was happening?

Thalia took her hand, eyes welling with sudden and unexpected tears..

"Doesn't seem 5 minutes." She whispered, touching the handle of the bronze knife as Annabeth picked it up and stuck it in the belt of her dress.

She had be the first bride in history to carry a deadly weapon down the aisle, but there was no way Annabeth was going anywhere without it ever again.

Smiling at Thalia, Annabeth thought how much she sounded like her father. Perhaps, in a strange sort of way, Thalia had more right to say that than her own dad did... She was like a sister to her, after all, and had been there for her when her dad hadn't.

Annabeth took a deep breath, and looked out of the window of the small dressing room. Suddenly, an image of Percy's face filled her minds eye, and she felt calm.

"Yeah, I'm ready." She smiled. Deep breaths seemed unnecessary. Nor did she have to tell herself to smile.

She was a child of Athena, after all, and a child of Athena _always _had a plan. It just so happened that Annabeth had been subconsciously planning for this day since the moment, all those years ago, she had first met Percy Jackson in an infirmary of halfblood hill...

Frederick Chase, however, hadn't been planning for this day at all. It caught him totally unprepared... How had the bundle, arriving in a gold cradle on his doorstep, sprung into the beautiful young woman by his side? And wasn't he meant to be taking her down the aisle? It felt a lot like she was guiding him...

All he could do was hold onto her arm tightly as they walked down the aisle, as if he never ever planned on letting go.

For once, the touching show of affection didn't effect Annabeth quite as much as it usually would have. She had eyes only for Percy, stood at the front of the room.

The temple Annabeth herself had designed was beautifully decorated. Aphrodite and Apollo had spared no expense in their vigorous hours decking out the temple. But Annabeth didn't care much about the when, or the where or even the how. All she could focus on was the man stood directly in front of her...

Percy winked, sarcastic smile in place making Annabeth want to burst out laughing as her heart beat a little faster and her smile grew a little wider. Instead, she turned to her father. He took her hand in both of his own, and placed a kiss on her cheek. It felt like a soft remembrance of her childhood- the good and the bad, and the father that, back then, she had scarcely known...

"Look after her." He whispered as he placed her hand in Percy's. For a moment, his hands lingered, covering both of theirs. Then, he withdrew them, nodding with his eyes full of tears, and backed away slowly to his seat.

Percy smiled at her as they turned to face each other. Hera, who was acting as the reluctant priest, asked that the mothers step forward.

Sally placed her hands slowly on Percy and Annabeth's hands, where Frederick Chase's had been moments before. In the half light of the temple, her eyes glinted jewel bright, brimming with tears.

"I, Sally Jackson, give my son Percy Jackson my complete and unreserved blessing to marry Annabeth Chase." She said, in a clear carrying voice choked with emotion. She kissed Annabeth and Percy each on the cheek, then stepped back.

Her eyes locked on Percy's as she smiled. A thousand moments seemed to pass between the two as Annabeth watched, moments of blue candy and tumbledown beach houses, moments of pain at every parting and joy at every reunion. Moments of Medusa's head turning abusive husbands to statue, of shooting monsters with police guns, of blessings for the ones we love, of enduring everything for them, even if it meant our downfall, or worse, giving up our dreams...

Annabeth thought Sally Jackson was the most beautiful creature she had ever met, or would meet, in a thousand years of summer solstice.

Athena's turn.

Athena looked as if she'd been forced to look upon the face of Medusa, and did not like what she saw. Nevertheless, she placed her hands on both of theirs, and they were so cold Annabeth could have sworn she'd plunged them into ice water a couple of moments before, just for them...

"I, Athena, goddess of Wisdom and mother of Annabeth Chase, give this marriage my eternal blessing." She shot an annoyed glance at Poseidon, who smiled and pulled an imaginary glass out of the air as if toasting her. She harrumphed in annoyance, kissed Annabeth on the cheek and glowered at Percy before taking her seat once more.

Annabeth smiled at her mother, communicating with her eyes everything that she couldn't say. Everything that seemed important, everything that Athena should know, before her daughter almost disappeared from her grasp.

Annabeth knew Athena understood. It was only a second, and it might have been a trick of the light, but Annabeth could have sworn a tear splashed in a graceful arch across Godess's face and into her lap.

That was enough of a blessing to last Annabeth an eternity.

The sun glinted through the windows of the temple, and Annabeth though of every single moment of agony and misery they had endured to get to where they were right now...

It had been a struggle, but even when the odds had seemed insurmountable, she had looked at Percy, and he had _always _given her the strength to go on. Even when there was no strength to be found.

Annabeth didn't care, in that moment, if Athena couldn't appreciate that. Because she could. And that was all that really mattered...

For the entire ceremony, Annabeth didn't take her eyes off Percy. And he didn't glance away from her.

"First dance time." Leo's way of saying congratulations, Annabeth guessed. She glanced at Percy, and almost burst out laughing, so many unsaid things seemed to pass between them.

"Uh-oh." Percy muttered.

"Uh-oh is right. Come on, Seaweed Brain. Let's finish this the way we started it."

Percy Jackson had many hidden talents. Dancing, Annabeth was surprised in the extremes to find, was one of them. Well, she'd danced with him this time last year, but then... She could have sworn, now she really thought about it, that he'd nearly fallen over his own feet.

It had been so romantic she hadn't actually noticed, and she remembered the feeling of wonderful closeness, everything about the moment firmly and irrevocably branded on her memory. But if she thought about the actual dancing...

Yep, it had been pretty terrible...

Now, however...

Music, more beautiful and more extraordinary than any Annabeth had ever heard, floated through the atmosphere hung with sensuous smells, the soft light of candles and fairy lights, and the warmth of the barmy summer. Underneath the canopy of leaves wound with light, the new Annabeth Jackson placed her hand gently in Percy's.

He pulled her close, and they span in graceful circles, floating material covering them both as Annabeth's dress swirled in circles right along with them. A gift from the God's themselves, her dress was beautiful. Rippling in a beautiful skirt, backless, in the style of the Ancient Greeks.

Annabeth seemed to glow in the light. Her hair rippled down her back, threaded with pearls from Poseidon and flowers from Aphrodite. Percy committed the vision of her to memory, and promised himself the image would stay with him for an eternity...

He pulled her close, and she felt suddenly somewhat giddy, happiness overtaking her.

"Where'd you learn to dance like that, Seaweed brain? I mean, last time I checked, you were still falling over onto your knees. Although, now I think about it, that might just be the surprise proposal you decided to spring on me." She whispered the worlds softly as she was pulled in against his chest yet again.

Grinning, he put his lips to her ear. A delicious thrill went down her spine, and she almost lost his next words. "Grover's been giving me lessons."

"Grover?" She grinned. "The guy with fake feet?"

"Don't laugh. He's surprisingly good."

"He must be. Because so are you. And that's something I never would bet on in a million years. Not after that school prom at the awful military school we had to go too. Or the not-really-dancing in the front room. You're pretty good."

Percy couldn't help but feel slightly smug.

"Nice temple you've got here." He said. "I wonder, which of my beautiful, wonderful wives designed this."

Annabeth laughed. "Very funny. Mrs and Mr Jackson. It has a nice ring, don't you think?"

Percy grinned.

Athena didn't look too chuffed with her new son in law, but that was just her tough look. Hera most definitely didn't envy her, either. Though unlike Athena, she didn't really like Annabeth very much...

"Oh no." Percy whispered. Annabeth span around, expecting the minatore at the very least, but found nothing.

"What?" She demanded.

"Speeches time." He said.

Annabeth's gaze rolled over Athena, Poseidon, Sally, Paul and her father, then to Grover and Juniper, Piper and Jason, Hazel and Frank, Leo and Calypso, Chris and Clarisse, Tyson and Ella, Couch Hedge, Chiron, Thalia, Rachel and Nico. Annabeth sighed.

"Well, it was nice knowing you Percy." She muttered. "If we both die, someone should tell my mum I want to be buried in her temple, you know, so she has something to remember me by. Oh, and I want white roses at my funeral, just decided."

"You've only just picked out your funeral flowers?" Percy cried, looking mock surprised. "Come on, we survived Tartarus. How bad can it be?" Percy asked. Annabeth shot him a look.

"Famous last words, Seaweed Brain. Famous last words."

Percy rolled his eyes. "Come on."

Grover was first to the stand. He looked oddly at ease. Annabeth smiled to herself... He'd changed, in the past couple of years, since being made an un-outcast (not to mention the special title he'd been granted after the Battle of Olympus.)

"I could tell you a million funny stories, about Percy and Annabeth. Percy, for any of you who don't know, can be a bit of an idiot. And Annabeth, well, she's Annabeth. It's one match no one would have bet on, not in a million years, not at first. But I've known Annabeth since she was 7, and Percy since he was 12. They, along with Thalia and Luke, were the only demigods I brought to camp half blood, and they are my greatest friends. And let me tell you, even I cannot picture one without the other. I could stand here alll day listing every cheesy cliché I could think of, and even that's not enough. No one can really understand their relationship, I don't think, not even them. But it's beautiful, and it's intense, and they've proven it's strength. God, Titian, Giants, not even Gaia or Tartarus could tear them apart. Nothing. No one. Not ever."

The hall was deadly silent, everyone staring, transfixed, at Grover, who suddenly grinned. "Now, about Percy's bachelor party-"

Percy groaned comically into his hands, and Annabeth laughed, putting a hand on his arm as she leaned forward. Listening intently. _This _was going to be interesting!

On and on the speeches went, until darkness had fallen outside. No one seemed to notice, least of all Percy and Annabeth. At any other wedding, so many speeches of such length would be incredibly boring, and incredibly out of place. But here, there was so many parts to them, to their world, every single speaker kept the audience's rapt attention for the duration of all the speeches...

"My turn?" Asked Percy suddenly, making the audience laugh. Annabeth grinned at him, and gave him a little shove.

"Alright, well, hi. Apparently, this is the bit where I thank you all for being here. So, thanks. For more than just showing up and attacking the buffet bar. I see you, Coach." He grinned as Coach Hedge blushed, caught in the act of shoving yet another ceramic plate into his gob. "For being supportive, for doing what's best for us, even when it wasn't easy. I mean, I've said goodbye to my mum more times than I can count on three hands. And my dad, well, it can't be easy, being a god and not being able to watch your children grow up. Athena, we've never overlooked the huge sacrifices you've made, either. Especially with allowing this wedding, since you don't like me very much. And to Frederick Chase, who I know Annabeth will want to thank herself and probably won't like me beating her to the punch, but I just wanted to say thank you. For everything. For bringing her up, for letting her go, and for letting her go yet again. I promise to take care of her, always, so far as she will let me. Though there have been times where I've thought I'm the one who needs to be protected. A lot of the stuff Annabeth and I have been through- well, let's just say it doesn't make for amazing, cheesy romantic wedding day speeches. But I guess it's made us who we are right now, got us to where we stand, before you today. So, I guess the biggest thank you I want to say is to Annabeth. For coping with my stupidity, seaweed brain moments all these years. For getting us out of thousands upon thousands of near death situations. For fighting by my side, always, no matter whether I deserved her or not. For knowing me, and yet loving me anyways. But mostly just for being _Annabeth. _I know that I wouldn't have survived a single second in this messed up world without her, and for what it's worth I think we make a pretty good team. But what I most want to say to you, isn't just that you're the most amazing person I've ever met, but that the fates were wrong, and so was that prophesy. Because, I promise you, wisdom's daughter will never, ever walk alone. She never did. I love you, Annabeth."

Annabeth's eyes were so blurred with tears, so choked with emotion, that she almost forgot. She was up next.

"Well, it's like Percy said." She began, once stood on the stand. "Thank you all for being here. Thank you for supporting us throughout. I know it hasn't been easy; nothing worth having ever is. What we've had to go through, what we all have, to get where we are today... It almost doesn't seem worth it. There are too many people to honour, too many nameless faces, too many empty seats where friends and heroes should sit today. I miss them all, more so than I could ever say. Sacrifice has many faces, after all, but every passing of a friend feels like another knife to the gut. And it never, ever seems to end. Just when you think you're safe, another prophesy falls out of the air, and another friend disappears. But this is a wedding, not a funeral, and I have no wish to make it into one. I guess what I'm trying to say is that we're lucky. We got here. We have each other, and we always will. The strength of love can sometimes sweep us away, and we almost forget the heavy cost which it bears, which it will always bear. It may be selfish, but for Percy, I would do it all again. I'd do it a thousand times, lose them all a thousand times. But I would never, ever let their faces slip beyond my grasp. When Percy proposed, he said some of the sweetest things I've ever heard anyone utter, let alone him. So I guess, now, it's my turn. I can't guarantee it'll be as sweet, or as romantic as anything Percy said to me. But this is the truth, Seaweed Brain, so don't judge me. There are parts to everyone, I guess, which can never be accessed. Everyone has their secrets, bits of themselves they keep locked deep away, parts even they themselves have never known. I can't claim to be so very different, and I can't claim to truly know you, Perseus Jackson, either. It's so easy to get caught up in talking about everything we've suffered through, the obstacles we've overcome, the years we've spent together. I feel as if I know you well, and as if you know me. You can tell me a thousand things with a curve of your lips, a twinkle in your eye, a touch of your hand on mine. But we've barely even scratched the surface, and the time we've spent together, it's just a fraction of what it will be by the end of our lives. So here's to the years to come. Here's to blue cupcakes and idiotic moments and stupid prophesies and winged horses and warships and mazes and water and storms and fire and the end of the world, yet again. Here's to angry gods and godesses and fighting monsters and sitting in the sunlight and walking down the beach hand in hand and racing down halfblood hill and Tartarus and insurmountable battles and blue food colouring and a thousand other wonderful things. I've loved every minute so far, and I will continue to do so, so long as there's breath in my body. I can't wait to get to know you, and to get to know me, because if anyone has the key to my secrets then it's you. As long as we're together, everything will be alright, I know. So here's to us, Seaweed Brain. And here's to our next great adventure."


	7. Families Come In The Strangest Forms

**Author's note: This chapter was hard to write, I'm not really sure why. But I hope you like the end result. **

**Thank you, thank you, thank you for all your continuous lovely reviews! It's made me so happy...**

**So, without further ado... I don't own Percy Jackson. Or any of his friends, unfortunately. (I'd settle for his enemies, too, but their not mine, either. It's so depressing, but I'm actually too happy with all my reviews to care. Muhahahaha!)**

It is not possible to live without failure, unless you live so carefully you might never have lived at all, in which case you fail by default~ JK Rowling. (Not really relevant, but I love this quote so much, and it's been going through my mind all day, so I thought I'd put it in.)

A baby... Annabeth's eyes widened as she stared at herself in the bathroom mirror. A real life, honest to gods baby. Like, a real _baby_, an entire new life form, growing inside of her _baby_...

Oh my gods.

She rested her head against the bathroom mirror, blond curls spilling over her shoulders, closing her eyes. It was definitely her imagination, but she could have sworn she felt a little kick, a small heartbeat alongside her own.

Which was completely illogical and impossible, since she could only be about two months, tops, but still...

Oh my gods.

Staring at her arms in the sunlight streaming in from the window, her breath caught, imagination running wild as she envisioned a child in her arms. He, she, it didn't really matter... They'd have Percy's sea green eyes, and- but it was here her imagination slowed, and her breathing seemed to stop.

She was completely unprepared.

She slumped against the bathtub, her legs splayed out in front of her, holding the positive pregnancy test in between trembling fingers.

Percy would be home from work soon... She'd wanted to surprise him with a picnic in the park for dinner. She'd barely even begun to make the sandwiches when she'd caught sight of the calender on the wall opposite and nearly dropped the knife on her foot.

"Annabeth!" Called a voice, right on cue. Annabeth sighed, picking herself up off the floor and shoving the pregnancy test into her pocket as she hurried into the kitchen. "Where- oh. Hi."

Despite herself, Annabeth couldn't help grinning at the expression on his face. "I only just got back." She said, lying easily. She felt incredibly shaky, and was surprised Percy hadn't picked up on it through her voice. "I'm just going to finish off these sandwiches, then I thought we could go for a picnic in the park?"

"Sounds wonderful." Percy smiled, his finger brushing a curl out of her face, lingering a moment on the back of her neck before withdrawing. "I'll help, shall I?"

As his back was turned, hunting in the fridge, Annabeth closed her eyes and tried to control her breathing, keep her thoughts under control. She was the daughter of Athena. She could do this.

The crisp Autumn air seemed more biting than usual as Annabeth pulled her coat around herself. Though perhaps that was just nerves. Beautiful, rust coloured leaves swirled around her, making beautiful patterns in the air, wind lifting her hair off her shoulders.

"So." Percy's eyes twinkled. He spun around to face her as they walked, his hand in hers, walking backwards as his footsteps fell in time with hers. "Anything interesting happen today?"

Interesting? Huh. You could say that.

"Uh, well, I finalised the booking for our anniversary. Your dad helped, Bora Bora, it's supposed to be beautiful. Leo and Calypso are jealous. They went there on their honeymoon, I think. Um, let's see what else. I visited Olympus, Apollo wants me to design a temple in his honour for the north of the country, so I got started on that. Phoned my dad before I left work. And I'm pregnant."

She didn't mean it to come out like that. In fact, she hadn't meant to say it at all. That was so stupid! She hadn't got a plan, hadn't thought about it, it had been so rushed and abrupt... She cursed herself, but unfortunately, the words were out of her mouth. She couldn't take them back...

Percy froze, staring at her, his mouth open as if he was about to swallow her whole.

"Um- let me rephrase that. Nothing much happened today. No wait, I'll try again, err-"

"I'm going to be a dad?" Percy asked, wide eyed. Annabeth was grateful of any excuse to fall silently.

"Well, that's still up for debate." She teased. Playfully, she punched him. "Yeah, Seaweed Brain. You're going to be a dad."

"Oh my gods."

"Now that's more like it. My exact reaction, right there." She laughed. Percy closed his mouth, and grinned.

"I'm going to be dad." He repeated, blissful wonderment in his tone. "I'm going to be a dad. Oh my gods, Annabeth! We're going to be parents!"

Annabeth smiled, feeling a knot of nerves in the pit of her stomach disappear. _We're going to be parents. _

"So I take it you're pleased?" She asked with a grin.

"Pleased? Oh my gods, Annabeth, pleased doesn't even begin to cover it! Annabeth- this is so amazing! I love you."

"Love you too." She laughed as she was caught in a hug that actually swept her off her feet. She put her hands on his shoulders and brought her face close to his. "I'd appreciate it if you put me down, though. Really. My ribs are aching a little after we fought that monster on the way back from Thalia's."

"Oh my gods." Percy said as he obliged.

"You said that."

"We're going to be parents!"

"Said that too."

"This is amazing."

"Seriously, do you have any original material?" Annabeth teased, pushing him slightly.

Percy Jackson just smiled.

* * *

"In and out, no dawdling. Athena is a busy woman. She doesn't have time for time wasters." The bad tempered man at the door warned. Percy had to physically restrain Annabeth as she attempted to fly at him, intent on cutting his throat out.

"Did you hear him?" Annabeth seethed, teeth gritted. "Did you actually hear him? Stupid git. Does he know who am I? This is my mothers temple, and by the gods, I'll waste as much of her time as I bloody well see fit!"

"I agree, but Annabeth," Percy placed a gentle hand on her arm. "You might want to lower your voice."

"You lower your voice, Perseus Jackson." she snapped, though she did as he asked anyways. Reaching out, she took his hand, as if regretting her words instantly.

"Sorry, I didn't mean-"

"It's fine." Percy assured her, grinning. Then the doors to the temple opened, and he stopped immediately, assembling a facial expression suited to one going to visit the deathbed of a friend.

"Annabeth, my dear!" Athena smiled. Then she saw Percy, and her expression clouded over. "And Perseus, I see. Enter."

They did as she asked, bowing at her feet, Percy gritting his teeth slightly. Despite having received the womans blessing two years ago at his wedding, Percy didn't feel entirely comfortable around Annabeth's mother. And he definitely didn't feel like bowing before her.

"What brings you here?" Athena asked, smiling at Annabeth and acting as if Percy were nothing more substantial than a wisp of smoke.

"We- um, actually have some news."

Was it just him, or was Annabeth nervous? Percy would have laughed, if he didn't feel like bursting into hysterical tears, screaming 'please don't zap me!', then possibly collapsing at Athena's feet.

Annabeth Jackson would forever be a mystery to him... Go into her worst enemy's chamber to retrieve a cursed statue in order to save her mother? Piece of cake. She ran off to meet her doom. Informing her mother that her married daughter was about to give her another grandchild, on the other hand...

"Ah, yes." Athena said casually, her fingers trailing along the length of the arm of her chair and back again, absentminded. "Aphrodite and Hera told me this might happen soon. They have a good sense for these sort of thing, you know. Dementer was even more certain. All the fertility gods, frankly, have become positively annoying, always whispering in my ear."

"I- I beg your pardon?"

"You're having a baby, Annabeth, are you not?" Athena asked, her entire aspect softening as she smiled at her daughter.

"Um... Yes?"

"You don't sound very certain, darling."

"Yes." Annabeth stated, more clearly this time, throwing a bemused glance at Percy, who sort of shrugged, still unsure if he was about to get blasted right back into Tartarus.

"Well then, I don't see what the problem is. We should have a drink to celebrate. Have you considered names?"

* * *

Curled up on the sofa, her head on Percy's chest, Annabeth turned to look at Percy. Sensing her gaze, he looked down at her, smiling. He tangled his hands in her hair and pressed his lips gently against her forehead.

"You alright?"

"I was just thinking."

"I noticed you do that quite a lot." Percy grinned, brushing yet another stray curl out of her face. She grinned.

"Shut up."

"So what were you thinking?"

"Just that, well, I suppose I owe you a thank you. For giving me all this." Percy frowned, and Annabeth elaborated. "I've known a lot of broken families, Percy. I abandoned my blood relatives, built a new family for myself, thought I was happy. Only to find that that family wasn't strong enough to stay together either. A broken promise, a broken life, yet another broken family. That was how I met you. And when I got to know you, I guess I hardly dared hope that this might be different. So what I'm trying to say is, thank you, for giving me the first family that was strong enough to last. For always being there, no matter what. For not abandoning me when things got difficult, for accepting me for me, for giving me hope again when I thought it was completely lost. For sharing your family when it was necessary, for building a new family for both of us where it wasn't, and for staying with me always. For reinstalling my faith in the concept behind the word."

For once, Percy didn't know what to say.

He flashbacked to the previous afternoon, when they had told all their demigod friends. Maybe family wasn't just confined to a few people who shared the same blood, or had a marriage certificate, or had similar DNA.

Looking around the group of people at Camp Half Blood, he had felt a familiar sort of sensation sweep over himself, though he barely knew what it was at the time. Now, sat at home with Annabeth at home, he realised what it was.

_"You? Baby? That shouldn't even be legal!" Clarisse pulled a face, though it fooled no one. She was absolutely thrilled... _

_"Congratulations!" Squealed Piper, an engagement ring glinting on her finger. Hazel just smiled, her own slightly swollen stomach more prominent every time Annabeth saw her. At least they weren't the first to do this. _

_"Someone to mess up with." Frank muttered to Percy, grinning, the same look Percy had in his eyes every time he contemplated becoming a dad. Annabeth smiled to herself and turned the other way, pretending not to have heard. _

_"Oh my gods, this is amazing!" Gushed Rachel. _

_"You sound like Percy." Laughed Annabeth, hugging her friend. Leo's hands were covered in oil, the gold of his wedding ring just visible in the light of the apartment. _

_"I am going to have so much fun teaching this kid to set fire to stuff." He laughed. Annabeth pointed a finger in his face playfully. _

_"You dare teach my child anything to do with explosives, Valdez, or so help me gods-" _

_"Alright, alright. No explosives!" Leo laughed. _

_"Don't worry." Calypso laughed. "I'll keep him in line." _

_Jason laughed. "Uh-huh. I wouldn't ask Leo to babysit if I were you guys." _

_"Sure, Jason. Because you're the best option for responsible babysitter there is. How many times have you crashed the car again?" _

_"Driving's hard, alright?" Jason muttered, glaring playfully at his sister. _

_"Whereas saving the world from monsters is a piece of cake." Piper laughed, wrapping an arm around his waist._

_"Exactly." Jason replied, wrapping an arm around her waist. They all laughed. _

Whatever happened, theirs was the weirdest family on earth. And the best.

And this kid was going to have so many amazing aunts and uncles, they would never want for anything, Percy promised himself. All these demigods, they were going to be there for this kid, because their parents had never been able to be for them.

And Percy was going to make up for the Olympian's absences by being the best father he could possibly manage to be, even if it killed him, he vowed there and then. This was one quest he absolutely could not afford to fail...


	8. Wisdom's Son or Water's Daughter?

**Author's note: This chapter is kind of a patchwork of lots of little ideas I had for chapters that weren't quite long enough to be put on their own. But I'm quite happy with the result. Beside, I'm a quilter; I love patchwork! Sharing... **

**So, please enjoy. **

**I don't own Percy Jackson, or Annabeth Chase, but their son/daughter is totally of my own invention, which is quite exciting, don't you think? **

Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom~ Aristotle

"Grover?"

"Yes."

"Jason?"

"Yes."

"Frank?"

"Yes."

"Leo?"

"Yes. Is that the entire list?"

"No, we still have Chris, Chiron, Coach Hedge and Nico." She replied, sighing and rubbing her eyes. "And we have to pick two, Percy, whether you like it or not, so you might as well get started helping me narrow this list down."

"Why?" Percy demanded, looking longingly at the fresh blue chocolate brownies on the side they had just finished baking. All these lists, all this preparation... It was making his head hurt. "Why do I have to pick two? There's no one I don't want on that list as Godparent to my child!"

"Well, unless you want 4 children, Seaweed Brain, no can do. We have to narrow the list down. It's tradition!"

"Tradition? Poseidon's underpants, tradition!" Percy scoffed. Annabeth raised her eyebrows. "Well, just think about it logically! What part of us is remotely traditional? We've never followed any kind of tradition in our lives! So what makes you think we have to start now?"

Annabeth continued to look unsure for a moment, before sighing and shoving the list of names to one side. "Sod it. Let's just do it. It'll make it easier, and we can do the same thing for Godmother, too. Gods know, the very thought of deciding between Piper and Hazel has been giving me a headache all week!" She sighed, and lean back into Percy. He stroked the hair off her forehead.

"You feeling okay?"

"Yeah. My ribs are still a little sore is all. Might see the doctor about them."

"Still?" Percy asked, biting his lip in concern.

Annabeth's ribs had been hurting for nearly 8 months now, and he was starting to become more than a little worried about her. Sure, he remembered the monster pining her to the floor, and a slightly cracking sound echoing in the dark alleyway (he still had nightmares about it!), but he'd given her a square of ambrosia. She'd felt compltely better! He hadn't given it a second thought...

When she'd gone to the doctors the following day, it was to find out they were completely healed. Now, however, when she continually complained about sharp aches and pains... It was sending Percy completely crazy just contemplating it.

"I'll go to the doctors, Seaweed Brain. You don't need to worry about me so much, you're going to drive yourself nuts. I'm fine, see? I'm sure it's nothing to worry about."

"Nothing to worry about." Percy repeated dutifully, though he still looked faintly panicked. "To think, Annabeth. A month from now, and they'll be a baby in this house. An actual baby."

"Mmm." Annabeth mumbled.

"What are you thinking about?" Percy asked her, grinning. "You've got your planning face on. Are you planning something?"

"Not really. More, planning my plans."

"Huh?"

"I've had a plan for everything I did since I was 7 years old, Percy. And now, this completely _unplanned _baby comes along, and everything gets turned upside down, and I'm worried I'm overthinking it all. It's just- we have a month to get everything sorted. That's a whole lot of unplanned stuff I now have to plan."

"If it helps, Frank and Hazel are already doing all of this. They could give us a hand, if ever we got stuck."

"Hmm." Annabeth muttered. "But this is our baby, not theirs. And I'm not Hazel. Percy, what happens if I don't know what to do, if I'm hopeless at everything? What if I'm not equipped to be a mother?"

Percy sighed, his hand pausing on her forehead. "Believe it or not, I've been having the exact same thoughts ever since you told me you were pregnant, and I've sort of driven myself crazy over the past couple of days. And then I just decided it wasn't doing me any good, so I just sort of, stopped."

"Stopped?"

"Yeah, stopped worrying. Well, I sort of broke down on my mums shoulder first. But she was really reassuring. She just told me, no one knows what to do at first. You'll pick it up. It's instinct."

"But what if we don't have the right instincts?"

"Annabeth, we went through Tartarus. We defeated the titans, the giants, dirt face herself. You name it, we've fought it. We can handle all that, and yet you don't think we can handle a baby?"

Annabeth grinned, closing her eyes and leaning into Percy's hand on her cheek. "You're right. I'm being stupid."

"Not stupid." Percy disagreed. "Just normal."

"Normal." Laughed Annabeth. "I like normal."

"Yeah." Percy smiled, watching as she drifted off to sleep. "Yeah, me too."

* * *

"Yellow's a neutral colour, Seaweed Brain. It could belong to either gender. If we paint the nursery blue, then people will think it's a boy. Or we'd jinx it. We cannot put a girl in a blue room!"

"We can if it's an underwater theme." Percy disagreed.

"The entire apartment's an underwater theme." Annabeth countered.

"Oh." Said Percy, suddenly grinning as an idea occurred to him. "You're scared the baby's going to be more of a Poseidon than an Athena child."

"Am not!" Annabeth said, shoving the yellow paint in the trolley with unwarranted venom. "I just don't want a girl in a boys room!"

"Oh, you are so scared the baby's going to take after Poseidon!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"You're both arguing like 5 year olds." Sally appeared from nowhere. Despite Percy and Annabeth's protests, she had insisted on paying for part of the nursery. The compromise was that she helped to decide on what they bought. "But I thought blue was your lucky colour?"

"It is." Annabeth muttered as Percy grinned triumphantly.

"I like yellow, too." Confessed Sally, looking at the paint Annabeth had put in the trolley. "Why don't you compromise? You could have two walls underwater themes, and on the others Annabeth could paint some Greek Fairytales... And then, Annabeth and Athena are represented too. Besides, all young children love books."

"Even Percy's children?" Annabeth teased. But they both thought it was a wonderful idea...

"Now that's settled, come and look at the cuddly toys with me. Since you both insist on acting like children, I figured you'd feel right at home."

* * *

Stood in the newly decorated nursery, his wife watching from the doorway, Percy had to admit he was pretty pleased with his work. Even Annabeth was impressed.

"Thought you might want some sandwiches." She smiled.

Percy was getting used to seeing her with the bump... Part of him would almost miss it. Almost.

Annabeth, on the other hand, had recently decided she hated the inconvenience, the lack of easy movement. She wasn't a huge pregnant woman by any standards- she wasn't half as big as her stepmother had been when expecting Bobby. But she couldn't fight monsters or do anything remotely fun, really. She couldn't even really help painting the nursery. But she was rather enjoying all the free time she had for baking, and the yummy results. Such as the tray of cupcakes she held now.

At this rate, if she kept pressing so much food on him, Percy was going to end up as big as her.

She snorted. That was likely! Percy was as lean as ever. She supposed fighting all the extra monsters that she would usually deal with was keeping him fit.

But she did like the feeling of closeness that came with the bump. Of knowing the baby was alright, so long as she was. That was really very nice. Part of her wanted to keep it like this forever. It was a cruel world, sometimes, after all. Part of her wanted to never let her child deal with what she had had to.

But she knew her child never would. _Her _child would always be made to feel welcome, to feel safe and happy, and most of all, _loved. _There were so many who'd love this child, but Annabeth knew none would more than Percy and herself. This child would never ever have to fight the darkness on their own.

"We still need names." Percy said, jolting her out of her revive.

"I've been giving that some thought." Annabeth confessed. Percy grinned.

"Alright." He said, stepping off of the ladder and taking a sandwich as they went into the living room and sat down on the sofa. "Shoot."

"For a boy, I was thinking Angus-Alden, or Lloyd."

"Angus-Alden? You would condemn an innocent child to the fate of a lifetime spent as Angus-Alden?"

She pushed him gently, grinning. "I thought it was a nice name!"

"So was my-mother-is-a-monster, or my-parents-hate-me. Correct me if I'm wrong here, wise girl, but it says here that all three of those names mean wisdom or intelligence?"

"Um, coincidence?" Annabeth suggested, grinning.

"Alright, then, if it's a boy, I will let you name him Lloyd. I like Lloyd... but none of your Angus-Alden."

"And if it's a girl?"

"I get to name her." He replied, grinning.

"It's going to be something stupid, isn't it? Alright, but if I'm not allowed to name our son Angus-Alden, there is no way we are naming our daughter tentacle-fish or water-nymph or something equally stupid."

"I was thinking more along the lines of seashell?"

"Seaweed Brain!" Annabeth cried, sitting up in horror, her expression so comical Percy broke down in hysterics. "Oh. You were joking. You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

"Jenny or Marina."

"They're pretty. I like Marina best. But I'm still hoping for Lloyd."

"Course you are." Percy laughed.

"Hmm." Annabeth laughed. "Really, I just don't want a child from the sea."

Percy looked her in the eye, deadly serious despite the smile pulling at his lips. "Bit late for that."

Annabeth sighed. "Too true."

* * *

Percy was at work when the phone call came...

Swaddled in a pink cloth, all that was visible of the newborn child was a little hand waving above the blanket.

"You win." Annabeth sighed, leaning back against her pillows in exhaustion. "Marina it is. To be honest, I don't really care anymore, she's so beautiful. She can be whatever she wants to be. Even if what she wanted to be was another Seaweed Brained idiot, she'd still be beautiful to me."

"How about Kaia?" Percy asked suddenly, looking up from his daughter, wonderment still evident in his eyes. It was clear he hadn't been listening to a word Annabeth had said.

"Kaia." Says Annabeth slowly, testing out the name on her tongue.

"It means pure in Greek. But in Hawaiian it means the sea, and in Indian it means wise child."

Annabeth's eyes pooled with tears. "It's perfect." She whispered.

And it really was. After all, the child in Percy's arms was both a sea child and a wise child- the perfect blend of both.

"Can I?" She asked, holding out her arms. With a gentleness you would have thought impossible, had you ever seen him fight, he placed her in Annabeth's arms.

Annabeth gave a strangled sort of sound that might have been a laugh or a sob.

"She looks so much like you, seaweed brain."

"Poor child." Percy laughed, placing a hand on Annabeth's shoulder as he looked at his daughter with a reverence Annabeth had scarcely ever seen there before. "Let's hope she grows out of it quick."

Annabeth laughed. "Suppose that'd please Athena. But I think she's perfect just the way she is."

"Kaia Jackson." Percy said, his tone bursting with pride and satisfaction, making Annabeth's heart glow.

"Kaia Jackson." She repeated, a note of finality in her tone. And at the sound of her name, the baby's sea green eyes flew open.


	9. Baby Demigod Coming Through

**Author's note: This was so much fun to write, but I'm worried I might have lost myself in the story a bit too much. But it's half term! XD (imagine me pulling that exact face and I will have achieved desired affect...) **

**I don't own Percy Jackson, amazing revelation though it might be.**

Family is not an important thing. It is everything~ Micheal J. Fox

Percy bounced Kaia gently on his hip, whispering soothing sea songs his father had taught him last visit. Annabeth pulled on the second heel and smiled as she watched him. Lines of worry seemed to fall from her as she beheld her husband and child, making her look as if she were 12 years old once more, happy and completely carefree.

In a way, since she married Percy, she was.

"No fair." She laughed. "How come you're so good with her? I spend two hours rocking her back and forth and can't seem to get her to shut up for two seconds, you just pick her up and she falls asleep! I thought most new fathers were meant to be completely hopeless."

Percy grinned at her. "Not this one. Now go! I have it covered."

Annabeth frowned. "I hate leaving you both. I can still cancel if-"

"You haven't been out in near enough 12 months. You need a night out, and if I know Hazel, Piper and Rachel they've been dying to see you for ages. I promise you I'll be fine."

"I know you will." Annabeth sighed. "You're the baby whisperer. She hardly even needs me most of the time."

"Annabeth, you're her mother!" Percy exclaimed in surprise. "She adores you. Trust me on this one, she needs you more a thousand times more than you know. Give it a couple of years, she'll barely even remember my name. Trust me on this one."

Annabeth laughed. "You're right, I'm being stupid. Besides, I'm glad you're so good with her. She's going to be a perfect little daddy's girl."

She knelt forward and planted a kiss on the baby's cheek, smoothing back a blond curl. "Night, sweetheart." She kissed Percy. "Night Seaweed Brain. Don't burn the house down or anything."

Percy chuckled as the door closed, throwing Kaia up in the air and catching her in one smooth movement, laughing even harder as she added her own glorious chuckle to the melody.

"Your mummy doesn't trust me, Kaia. I wonder why that is, hmm? Do you know something about this? I think you do, you've got a shifty look in your eye. Hmph. I feel outnumbered."

Kaia continued to sit on his hip as he walked around in circles in the apartment, completing the various chores Annabeth had left him until the apartment was spotless.

Eventually, he sat down on the sofa, pulling Kaia onto his lap so she faced him and pulling grotesque faces, making her roar with laughter.

"Aah, never grow up, sweetheart." he laughed, after a particularly vigorous round of 'got your nose'. "Promise me. That's good. You know, when you're going out- I don't know, slaying monsters and partying, I'll remind you of that. You're going to break lots of boys hearts. I can see it in your eye. You've got that mischievous look, just like your mother."

Sighing, he flicked on the television. Apparently, Kaia didn't want to watch the news, or a cooking show, or the Yankees game. She did however want to watch the children's channel, of which Percy heartily approved.

"The Octonauts. Excellent choice, sweetheart. My favourite television show in the history of television shows, I would have to say. The way they so accurately capture ocean life- golden!"

He laughed as Kaia looked at him, her green eyes wide, kind of reminding him of her mother. The thought of what Annabeth would say, were she here, had him in hysterics. He was talking to a baby like he would anyone else, be it his mother, Annabeth or any of his demigod friends.

Secretly, he thought Kaia understood more than she let on.

Perhaps she was communicating in some secret language as yet unknown to man with her teddy bears whilst they slept. Anything was possible. After all, she was Annabeth's daughter. Another Wise Girl in the making, Percy was certain.

"You are the cutest little girl I have ever had the pleasure to meet. I reckon Annabeth's right, you know. You're going to grow up to be a right little Daddy's girl, got me wrapped so tightly around your little finger. I reckon I'd do anything for you. Anything in the world. You name it, I'll find a way. Fight all the monsters in the universe, known or otherwise. Hell, I reckon I'd take on Tartarus again for you."

He sighed, and watched the baby on his lap as she watched the television. Her gaze was more focused than most babies her age should be. Already, she had a thick crop of gold coloured hair forming a sort of fuzzy mess of ringlets on her scalp. Absent-mindedly, Percy sifted through the curls as her eyes began to droop and she leaned into his arm. He smiled to himself, and lifted her up. "Night, Kaia. Sweet dreams."

And that was where Annabeth found him when she returned home, still completely zonked out on the sofa, his daughter fast asleep against his chest. Drooling.

* * *

"Nappies?" Called Annabeth from the next room.

"Holy Zues." Cursed Percy under his breath, bouncing Kaia on his hip. "Where did daddy put the nappies, Kaia?"

Having located the nappies on the kitchen dresser, and several other items besides, Annabeth decided they were ready to go.

"Pass her to me a minute, seaweed brain?" She said as they waited for the elevator. Percy sighed, kissed her on the forehead and placed her gently in Annabeth's arms.

"Guess that leaves me with the bags." Percy laughed, winking at his daughter.

Annabeth smiled. "Guess it does. Not such a seaweed brain after all. But I really did just wanted to hold her."

"I know." Said Percy, watching, entranced, as Kaia caught hold of one of her mothers gold curls and tugged, then released it, laughing as it sprang back into place.

"That's a cute giggle." Laughed Annabeth, stroking her cheek. As their daughter laughed in delight, the sound echoing down the corridor, Annabeth and Percy just looked at each other in wonderment.

Percy leaned over the back seats to strap her in, planting a little kiss on her plump cheek, and suddenly realized how fortunate he was.

"Alright." He said. "Camp Half Blood, here we come."

"That's you." Annabeth informed their daughter, grinning.

"Is she a demigod, though?" Percy asked. Annabeth gave him an incredulous look as if he'd just asked if the world was round.

"Are you a demigod, seaweed brain?"

"No- I just meant- is she like a quarter god or something? What's the Greek word for quarter?"

Annabeth let out a huff of exasperation. "I'm half. You're half. Therefore, she has a quarter of my demigod and a quarter of yours, then a quarter of your human and a quarter of mine, which equals half demigod. She's only quarter wisdom, quarter sea. But she's definitely half blood."

Percy grinned sheepishly, his cheeks turning a shade of red so adorable Annabeth decided she'd better embarrass him more often.

"Thanks, wise girl." He turned to Kaia. "Let's just hope you get your mums brains. Gods help us if you end up with my brainpower."

It was around midday by the time Kaia began to cry. "Percy, I think she needs feeding. Pull over."

"We're nearly there, Wise Girl." Percy pointed out.

"Twenty minutes isn't nearly there!"

"It is when there's a thousand monster barely metres away. I don't want to pull over until we're within walking distance."

Annabeth huffed impatiently. "And they call me the wise girl. Pretty smart for a seaweed brain, Percy."

He turned his head and grinned. "I have my moments."

"Alright Kaia, this is Half Blood Hill." Annabeth pulled her daughter out of the booster seat and pulled her up onto her hip. "And down at the bottom is Camp Half Blood. That's where mummy grew up, and daddy too, for a bit. It's where we'll be spending ever summer, pretty much, from now on, so I hope you like it. It's a part of who you are. Who we all are."

They began the steep climb up the hill, Percy carrying all the bags as if they weighed nothing more than a pound of flour, pointing out various landmarks as they went. "That's the strawberry fields, Kaia. We're infamous for them. Any second now, and we'll be able to see Thalia's tree. Aunty Thalia, that is. Gods, she's going to adore you. First view of Camp Half Blood, coming up. This is a spectacular moment in the history of Kaia Jackson, you know, even if you're not going to remember it very much. Well, at all really. But once you pass this line, there'll be no going back."

Annabeth smiled fondly at her husband as he rattled off the features of the camp, and all the things their daughter would learn, once she was old enough.

At Thalia's tree, Annabeth halted. "There's a lot of people really excited to meet you, sweetheart. And I know you're going to love every single one of them. But it's going to a bit overwhelming, and you might get cried on quite a lot, so just try not to freak out. Mummy and Daddy will be here, alright?"

"When you say she's going to get cried on quite a lot-" Percy began, looking at Annabeth in apprehension.

"I mean Grover, and possibly Frank, and well, everyone really. Babies bring out the soft side in most people, after all."

"And everything brings out the soft side in Grover." Percy muttered, grinning.

"Let's do this." Annabeth grinned back, pretending not to have heard, though she couldn't stop herself from smiling.

"Just hope Clarisse doesn't throw you in the river." Percy informed his daughter. And for a fraction of a second, Percy could have sworn she'd understood.

"They're here!" Cried Piper, upon catching sight of them, and Demigods of every description flocked out of the cabins. Soon, there is a large crowd surrounding them. Kaia just giggles.

"Aaw. You're beautiful, aren't you, honey?" Piper laughed, stroking Kaia's cheek.

"Want to hold her, Pipes?" Annabeth asked, smiling fondly.

"Me?" Asked Piper in astonishment.

"Course. You don't want to hold your goddaughter?"

Kaia looked perfectly contented in Piper's arms, and Piper held her perfectly, maternal instinct overtaking as she pulled the child in close.

"I don't want to share her, that's for sure. I'm going to be your favourite." She informed the baby. Kaia rested her head against Piper's chest, her green eyes wide, as if in agreement. "She looks like Percy, don't you think?"

"A lot." Annabeth agreed, laughing. "Percy wants her to grow out of it."

"Oh no! Don't do that, Kaia! You're too pretty." She laughed.

"Aunty Piper, are you not going to give anyone else a turn?" Jason demanded, grinning.

"Aunty Piper." Piper whispered, grinning and pecking the toddler on the cheek. "Hear that? I'm your Aunty Piper."

"Um, Pipes? Share. Please."

"Here you go, _Uncle _Jason." Piper emphasised every word, watching as he rocked her back and forth. She seemed just as happy in Jason's arms as she had been in Piper's. "You're good with her. You're going to make an amazing dad."

Hazel, midway through introducing her own son, Aithan, to Kaia, gagged and nearly dropped him.

"Sorry, are we missing something?" Frank asked.

"PERCY!" Tyson chose that moment to come charging over the hill with Ella in tow, grinning from ear to ear.


	10. Blue Birthday Cake

**Author's Note: Muwhahahaha! Do you know... For the first time in my life, I don't think I've actually got anything to say. The apocalypse must be coming. **

**Oh... Right, sorry to get your hopes up there. Just remembered. To Not Hazel Levesque: I had to reply to your review... I'd usually PM you, but I'm too lazy to open a new window, and if I don't write it now I'll forget. I have a bucket list (You can laugh at my pathetic-ness if you want. My sister finds it hilarious) and number one on the bucket list is: #1 Make someone somewhere cry by publishing a book. **

**Now, people think I'm weird (well, they do anyways, but...) and a horrible person, so just let me explain before you judge me. I have a lot of favourite books, and all the books that have made it into my mental favourite book list are ones I have not only re read quite a few times, but also made me cry. All the best books do, sad as I may seem right now. I seem to spend half my time reading, and consequently I spend quite a lot of time crying, and then friends/family spend quite a bit of time laughing at me. I just think it's a sign of a good book. So there you go. Life's ambition, ticked off, right there. Thanks to your review. Now all I need to do is publish some original work, see my name on the front cover of a book, see some of my works in a book shop, found a Library and dress up as Voldemort, and that's all of my bucket list sorted. Humble dreams, humble dreams :)**

Family is the most important thing in the world~ Princess Diana

Kaia sat in her high chair, watching her parents in amusement.

"Percy, that's enough! Oh my gods, you're as bad as Tyson!" Percy grinned, looking at the now vivid blue cake mixture.

"But Kaia likes blue birthday cake, don't you sweetheart?" Percy smirked.

"Yes, she does. But guess who doesn't like Kaia liking blue birthday cake? The person who has to change her nappy. Let me give you a hint, it's not going to be me."

Percy groaned, and winked at his daughter. "Your mummy doesn't play fair."

"Hmm. You know who else doesn't like Kaia liking blue birthday cake? The person who has to get up in the middle of the night because she's too buoyed up on e numbers to sleep. Let me give you a hint. Also, not going to be me."

Percy grinned, and pulled out a spoon of the gloopy blue mixture. "Who wants to try some?"

"Let me give you _another _hint, Seaweed Brain."

"Got it." Percy laughed. "Also not going to be you."

He gasped, and burst into hysterical giggles, swallowing hard. Annabeth raised her eyebrows.

"Tingling, tingling, tingling!" He gasped. Annabeth shoved a glass of water in his hand, and watched, grinning, as he downed it in about two seconds flat.

"Well, that has to be the best first birthday cake in the history of the world." Annabeth laughed, sighing. "Even Percy thinks it has too many e numbers in it. It's obviously suitable for one and two year olds."

Sighing, she scooped Kaia up out of the high chair. "170 degrees, Seaweed Brain. Try not to burn it." Smirking, she kissed him on the cheek. Percy wrapped his arms around the both of them, kissing Kaia on the cheek, before releasing them.

"170. Got it."

"Come on, Kaia. We'll both scrub up, okay? Grandma Sally bought you that nice new dress you can wear." At the door, she turned and threw Percy a glowing smile.

"Who'd have thought it?" Percy muttered, as he put the cake in the oven.

Sally was the first to arrive. "Here's my favourite granddaughter!" She laughed, taking Kaia from Percy's arms. "Don't you look lovely in your new dress. I wonder who bought you that, hmm?"

"I swear she gets bigger every time we see her." Paul laughed, staring at the little girl in his wife's arms.

"Probably does." Annabeth smiled, coming in from her bedroom. "Growing, aren't you baby girl?"

Percy's eyes widened as he saw her. She was dressed in a knitted dress and knee high boots, her hair swept back and a glint in her eye. Though she was far from dressed up, he didn't think he'd seen anyone so beautiful.

Sally, evidently, was following along the same lines. "Don't you look lovely?" she smiled, hugging Annabeth. "I can't believe it's been a year. It's flown by so fast!"

Annabeth grinned at Percy. "Tell me about it. It doesn't feel like two minutes since we were bringing her home."

By the time Athena and Poseidon finally got there, arguing rather predictably, the party was in full swing. It seemed to Annabeth that, rather than playing pass the parcel, her friends were playing pass the baby. Kaia, however, didn't seem to mind. She bounced happily on each knee she sat on, grinning and laughing whoever stroked her hair.

"Annabeth!" Poseidon smiled, kissing her on the cheek. "You're looking lovely, as always."

"That's right, Poseidon, suck up. She's _my _daughter, you know."

Poseidon rolled his eyes. "Why don't you go read a book or something, Athena. We're here for Kaia, not to argue about meaningless trifles."

"For Kaia?" Athena snorted. "I have babysat her 12 times in the last month alone. Tell me, Poseidon, when was the last time you visited your granddaughter? A head too full of sea water to care, if you ask me."

Annabeth sighed, hoping Percy was somewhere nearby. She could really use some backup.

"It's so lovely to see you both." She smiled. "Percy's about somewhere, and Kaia's just through here."

"She will like my present better." Athena stated. Poseidon bristled.

"She will like my present better." He replied, looking daggers Athena's way.

"Honestly, Poseidon. She looks like your son, I cannot deny that much. But in temperament, she is much more like her mother." She threw a proud look in Annabeth's direction. "A wise child, through and through."

"Really? Percy told me that she can create waves in the bathtub." Poseidon countered.

"Well Annabeth told me she already follows a set routine each day, already knows exactly what has to be done and when."

"Bah!" Laughed Poseidon. "And how does that demonstrate particular wisdom?"

Secretly, Annabeth feared Poseidon might be right. Kaia seemed much more like a child of the sea than a child of the water, and whenever they visited the local swimming pool, Kaia seemed right at home. She was a proper water baby.

What scared Annabeth the most, however, was how little she minded the outcome. The only reason it gave her any loss of sleep was the thought of Percy's reaction. He would be smug for the next millenia if their first child turned out to have his powers, and show no particular prowess at the skills on which Annabeth prized herself. She loved Kaia too much to mind, either way, and knew she would not allow it to affect her relationship with her daughter.

Poseidon must be the first grandfather in history to wish for a dumb granddaughter, Annabeth thought to herself, laughing at the thought.

Kaia was in Percy's arms, squealing in delight as he spun her around. Annabeth laughed, and caught her mid spin, making aeroplane noises as she picked up where Percy left off.

"You've got guests, sweetheart." She laughed, hoisting Kaia onto her hip. Poseidon held out his arms, and Kaia imitated him, her own chubby toddler hands furling and unfurling as she laughed delightedly. Athena made a face.

"Don't get too smug, Barnacle Boy." She informed him.

"Just because she likes me better." Poseidon said. Percy grinned as he got up, pulling Annabeth close.

"Looks like the party's really about to kick off now."

* * *

Percy sat with Jason and Frank, all three of them laughing as they watched Leo with Kaia. As the only non-parent there, Leo wasn't as experienced with babies as the others, and the result of handing him Kaia had been quite entertaining.

"Damn. You are lucky you're so cute." He laughed good naturedly, wiping a bit of spit off his cheek. "Just remember that I am by far your favourite Uncle, and that when you're older you can come to me, and I'll teach you how to build cool machines and set fire to stuff. We're going to have so much fun!"

"You dare teach my kid how to burn _my _house down, Valdez, and they'll be Tartarus to pay." Percy warned, laughing as he remembered Annabeth handing out a similar threat.

"I know, I know." Leo laughed, then gulped, looking at Kaia. "You going to throw up on me, Kaia? You know, I'm not very good with organic lifeforms. You _could _try and go easy on me."

Jason laughed. "You're doing great with her, Leo."

"Still." Leo looked at the baby, unsure. "I don't want to test my luck too far. I'm bound to drop her or set fire to her or something. Someone else take her?"

"Sure. Pass her here." Percy said hurriedly. Pain though she sometimes was when she'd had too much blue cake or thrown up on him for the seventh time that day, Percy loved his daughter to pieces, and would really rather Leo didn't incinerate her or reduce her to ash.

He had barely had Kaia on his lap a second before Annabeth appeared. "Um, Percy? Could you help me with the sandwiches?"

"Sure." Percy smiled, handing Kaia to Jason regretfully and climbing to his feet.

It soon became evident to Percy that Annabeth wasn't leading him to the kitchen.

"Um, Annabeth? Where are we-"

She shot a look over her shoulder that quite clearly said 'Not now Seaweed Brain.' Having seen this look many a time before, Percy promptly shut up.

Leading him into the vacant spare room, she shut the door behind him, biting her lip. "Um, you know you said, about a sibling for Kaia?"

"Yeah, sometime in the next five years." Percy frowned, confused. "Why are you bringing this up now? Shouldn't we be making sandwiches?"

Annabeth threw him the kind of look that usually meant 'How did anyone ever get to be so dumb?'

"You're a bit of an idiot sometimes, Seaweed Brain, you know that?"

Evidently, Percy was not listening. "A sibling for- Oh my gods!" He yelped. Annabeth grinned.

"Shout a bit louder, don't think they heard you in New Rome." She laughed.

"We're going to have another baby? Now?"

"Well, obviously not right now. It tends to take a bit longer than that." Annabeth replied.

"Wow. This is amazing."

"Is that, like, your only reaction?" Annabeth teased.

"Give me a minute to think about that, and I'll get back to you." Percy grinned, returning her teasing tone.

* * *

"ANNABETH!" Percy yelled. "Annabeth, come here! Quick!"

It was the day after Kaia's first birthday, and Percy was sat with her, on the carpet in the living room. Night was falling outside, and everything was peaceful. Percy was already thinking about going to bed...

Annabeth skidded into the room, half of her hair dry and half dripping onto her orange camp half blood sweater, which she had taken to wearing as pyjamas. In her hand, she held her bronze knife aloft. Upon seeing the quiet, still sitting room, she halted and locked eyes with Percy.

"What?"

"Look." Percy gasped, indicating their daughter.

Kaia sat, cross legged, behind what appeared to be a perfect dolls house. Annabeth stepped a little closer, looking at it. The detail was amazing, right down to the perfectly structured rooms and angled, sloping roof. Were it one of her most basic projects, Annabeth would have been perfectly happy with the design.

Suddenly, she gasped, as if all the air had been knocked out of her lungs.

It was built out of Kaia's building blocks.

"No. Freaking. Way." She murmured, stepping closer to get a better look. "She never designed that?"

"I was just sat with her." Percy muttered, looking up at Annabeth in shock. "I turned my back for two seconds, and she's sat there, in front of this."

"Did you design this, baby girl?" Annabeth laughed, grabbing Kaia's outstretched hands and tickling her tiny palms. "Are you going to be an architect, like your mummy?"

Straightening up, she held Kaia on her hip, the small child resting her outstretched palms on her neck. Suddenly, she halted, and turned to Percy. "I don't understand."

"What?" Asked Percy, standing up and yawning, his mind already on the leftover birthday cake.

"She can make tidal waves in the bath. I thought Poseidon was going to claim her? But if she can do this- that's an Athena power, without a doubt."

"She's called Kaia for a reason." Percy grinned, recalling Annabeth's words on the night, a year ago, when Kaia had been born. "She's the perfect blend of both."


	11. The Sea Strikes Again

**Author's note: I know Ethan is the name of Nemesis's son, who betrayed and then saved Camp Half Blood in the Lost Olympian. This Ethan is in no way related to him, I just liked the name, and it meant the sea, so I thought hey, Ethan Jackson sounds cool. **

**I don't own Percy Jackson. **

Family... Where life begins and love never ends.~ unknown (as in I don't know and google doesn't either!)

Percy and Annabeth swung their daughter between them, Percy carrying the picnic basket in his other hand. As the sun danced off his hair, Annabeth caught Percy's eyes and touched her swollen stomach, wondering how in the name of every god in the universe she ended up so fortunate.

Kaia giggled, tugging on their hands. She'd only just learnt to walk, and was insisting on going everywhere on foot, even though she only went at about half a mile per hour. They were just going to the park, however, and Percy has insisted it would be nice for her to stretch her legs.

Realising that there would be absolutely no opportunity to go anywhere without lugging the pram down the corridor and into the lift from now on, what with the new baby due any day now, Annabeth had been only too happy to oblige...

"Here we are. Somewhere out of the sun." Percy decided, tugging the little sun hat Kaia was wearing a little further down.

"Daddy!" Kaia laughed, and in that tone, Annabeth could just imagine her in a few years time, reprimanding her father. 'Silly Seaweed Brain' her eyes seemed to say.

When down, her hair covered her forehead, wildly curly ringlets springing in every direction. Frederick had informed them this was exactly what Annabeth's was like, in the beginning...

"It growns in one direction when it gains a little length." He told them, grinning as Annabeth told him about the trouble she had trying to make Kaia's hair remotely presentable.

"Besides, I don't think it really matters. She's just a baby, no one's looking to see if her hair conforms with the latest fashions, or even if it's neat. I think it's cute." Percy laughed, twirling one of the corkscrew curls around his finger as he sat with her on his lap.

Dressed in a yellow sun dress and tiny purple shoes, covered in so much sun cream she looked like a snowman, Annabeth reached the conclusion Kaia was the most beautiful child she'd ever seen. Not like she was biased or anything.

"Last weekend of it just being us, hey, Kaia?" Annabeth smiled, holding out her hands as Kaia took experimental steps forward, grinning from ear to ear as the sunlight bounced off her golden hair.

"You don't know that!" Percy laughed, watching Kaia giggle as she played with Annabeth's hair.

Annabeth shrugged. "I suppose no one can guarantee. I just have a feeling, you know."

Percy frowned. "Maybe we should've consulted Rachel. So we could be more prepared, I mean. It's not too late, you know."

Annabeth smiled at him gently. "Relax, Seaweed Brain. Everything's going to be alright. We know what we're doing this time." She chuckled as Percy tickled Kaia, and her squeals of laughter echoed all around the park. "Not like with this one. If this next baby's first word is Manticore, I swear, I'm sending it back and asking for a refund."

Percy laughed. It was a couple of months ago now, but Annabeth wasn't letting it go.

* * *

The curtains were drawn and night was fast approaching, but Kaia was far from sleepy. Annabeth was sat up in bed when Percy entered with Kaia squirming and giggling in his arms.

"Alright, baby girl. Give mummy a goodnight kiss and then we'll go into your room for a story." Percy laughed. Annabeth looked up and frowned.

"Oh, just set her on the bed for a bit." She sighed. "She's not going to sleep like that, anyways."

Percy shrugged and sat Kaia on his side of the bed, sitting down next to her and taking her hands.

Annabeth had recently taught her to play Pat-A-Cake, something that Percy doubted most other children her age would be able to do. He had been sceptical at first, but Kaia had grasped it fast. Quicker than any normal child should have been able to do, if at all.

Then again, Kaia wasn't a normal child. Not at all...

"What are you researching?" Percy asked, looking at Dedalus's laptop. Annabeth continued to look, transfixed, at the screen.

"Huh? Oh, the manticore. One of the new kids from camp emailed, asking for help, and I realised I didn't know all that much."

"That was nice of you." Percy smiled. Annabeth smiled back, slightly distracted.

"Yeah. Only this connection is really slow, and I can't seem to work out what's wrong with it. Might be an overflow of monsters in the area, but I'm not unduly worried. Rachel said she'd try to get the Oracle to keep an eye on the situation for us, at least until the new baby's born." She yawned. "Anyways." She shut the laptop with a sigh. "I'm too tired for this."

Percy took her hand, lying on the sheet. "You might be overdoing it. I wouldn't be surprised. I tell you what, if you want, I'll take Kaia to camp for a couple of days, and we can teach this student about the manticore."

"Man tee." Said a small voice from nearby.

Annabeth frowned at her daughter a moment, before gasping in shock. "Percy, did she just speak?"

Percy looked at Kaia. "What did you say, sweetheart?"

"Man tee."

"What's- oh no! Oh no, oh no, oh no!" Annabeth gasped, propping herself up and snatching up her daughter. "Did you just say Manticore? Oh my gods. We are _awful _parents!"

Percy frowned. "Relax, wise girl. She wasn't that far off. It's man-tee-core, sweetheart. Can you say that? Man-tee-_core." _

Annabeth slapped him on the arm. "Stop saying it, you idiot! Oh gods, forgive me Athena."

"What's up?" Percy asked, laughing. "Our daughter just talked! Shouldn't you be happy?"

"Percy, our daughter just said her first word, and it was the name of a monster_. _That doesn't bother you?"

Percy frowned. "Why should it? Maybe she'll fight one! Oh my gods, that would be so cool, like history repeating itself! Yes, I can see it now. Kaia the manticore slayer."

Annabeth groaned and hid under the covers. She was slightly mollified when Kaia's next word was 'mama', but the fact that her daughter's first word would always be the name of a terrible monster did not sit well with her.

* * *

Percy smiled, watching his daughter crouch down in the dirt to pick a daisy, before handing it to Annabeth and clapping her hands together, clearly delighted with herself.

"Thank you sweetheart." Annabeth laughed, kissing her on the cheek. "That's really pretty. It's a daisy. Can you say daisy?"

"Mama." Kaia said, grinning like a lunatic before waddling off to pick some more. Percy laughed.

"Just as stubborn as her father and her mother before her."

Annabeth sighed, and leaned her head back against the tree, rubbing her stomach. "You had better be an easy child. Gods know we could use one of those around here."

* * *

It was midmorning before Percy made it over to his mothers, exhausted but grinning. He kissed his mother on the cheek before sweeping Kaia off her feet in a hug that had her squealing... Sally laughed, watching from the kitchen counter with Paul's arm around her waist.

"Hey there sweetheart. Did you enjoy your night at Grandma Sally's?"

"Gramma Sally." Kaia repeated, giggling.

"Would you like to come and meet your brother?" Percy asked, grinning so widely Sally thought his entire face might split in half.

"A grandson?" Sally asked, practically bouncing up and down in excitement. Percy nodded as he smiled, rubbing his eyes.

"And I tell you what, he's got quite the pair of lungs on him. Fair screamed the hospital down, made Annabeth laugh."

"Who does he look like?" She asked.

"Annabeth, I think. His eyes are blue for the moment, but they're sort of tinged with grey, Frederick said that was how Annabeth's started off. It's a bit creepy, but in the strangest way, he looks a bit like Tyson. Can't put my finger on how, but, yeah. You can come and visit now, if you'd like? "

"We'll be along later. Give you chance to introduce Kaia first." Paul promised. Sally just wiped her eyes and beamed.

"If you're sure. We'll see you later. Say bye to Grandma Sally and Grandpa Paul, Kaia."

Kaia just waved, and Percy grinned.

* * *

"Now, we've got to make a quick stop off at the toy store, honey. Silly mummy and daddy forgot to get your brother a cuddly toy, and apparently it's tradition. When we actually started following tradition, I don't know. But we got you a cuddly toy, and apparently mummy likes this tradition. It won't take long, I hope." Percy talked away as he did up her seatbelt. Kaia just watched him serenely.

"Here we are." Percy laughed, coming to a shelf so packed with toys it was a wonder they all fit. "Which one do you think? Here, I'll lift you up so you can reach."

Kaia reach out and grabbed the toy at the very back, an extremely fluffy blue teddy bear. All of the rest tumbled to the floor in a fluffy toy tidal wave. Percy laughed.

"I like this one." She told him. Percy laughed.

"I couldn't agree more. Do you want to hold onto that one for me? Is there one you want for yourself, as well? A new baby brother teddy bear for Kaia."

Kaia hesitated, looking at all the teddies on the floor. "All of 'dem." She decided.

"All of them? We can't take all of them!" Percy laughed, looking at his daughter.

"All of 'dem." she repeated stubbornly. "Please? For brother."

Percy suddenly understood what it was like to be on the receiving end of big green eyed desperation-puppy-dog look. He sighed.

"All of them it is. You just make sure you keep a hold of that one, alright? Make sure your brother gets it."

And so, grabbing a trolley, he began to load every cuddly toy on the shelf into his trolley. "How you ever crept up on me like this, Kaia." He grumbled. "By the gods, what I wouldn't do for you."

Once the cuddly toys were all loaded into the boot of the car, which admittedly took some time, they set off for the hospital.

"Here we are. Now, you have to be quiet, Kaia, because Mummy's very tired, and the baby might be sleeping. Alright?"

Kaia nodded solemnly.

As it turned out, there was no need for caution. Annabeth was sat up waiting for them, wide awake, as was the baby, laid in this crib.

"Kaia!" Annabeth cried, as soon as she saw her daughter, opening her arms up. Kaia sprinted across the room and crashed into Annabeth with the force of a miniature boulder.

"I've missed you, sweetheart." She informed her daughter, pulling her up onto the bed beside her. "Is this the teddy for your new brother? Would you like to come say hello? Percy, bring him over, would you?"

Percy sat gently besides Kaia on the small bed. The baby was awake, his eyes even more grey than they had been when Percy left, dressed in a little baby grow.

"What do you think, Kaia?" Annabeth asked jokingly, locking eyes with Percy. "Do you approve?"

Kaia reached out and put her own tiny fingers against the baby's cheek. Small as they were, Kaia's hands dwarfed the baby's face. She was incredibly gentle, unusually so for such a young child. Her brother looked up at her, smiling, as if to say 'Nice to meet you, too.'

"I like him." Kaia concluded.

Annabeth laughed lightly. "That's a relief." She smoothed her daughter's hair gently back from her face.

"Mummy and daddy actually have another question for you, Kaia." Percy said, looking at the baby in his arms, and Kaia's hand next to his own. "We were wondering, what you wanted to call him?"

"Ethan or Mendel?" Annabeth asked. Kaia deliberated a moment.

"E-tan." She said finally, looking down at the baby. "Brother E-tan."

Annabeth sighed impatiently, glowering at Percy. "No need to look so smug. It's just because that's the only one she can pronounce, and you know it. Our next kid is mine, Seaweed Brain. I hope you know that."

"Fine by me." Laughed Percy.

"Ugh. I can't believe you won on both of their names."

"Kaia's name was a compromise." Percy reminded her.

"I hate compromise." Annabeth sighed, brushing Kaia's hair back from her face. "However, I have to admit Kaia was perfect. But the next kid is a wise child. None of your manipulating and 'let's let Kaia decide.'"

"Um, is now a good time to mention I bought every cuddly toy in the store for Kaia on the way out here?"

Annabeth mock death glared him. "Bribery, Seaweed Brain?"

Percy began to protest his innocence, before he noticed the look on her face. She was joking.

"Ethan." Annabeth laughed, taking the boy out of his arms. "You're going to be a mummy's boy, I can see it in your eyes. Ethan Jackson. I can't wait to get you home, sweetheart."


	12. An Unexpected Visitor

**Author's note: I just watched the final hunger games trailer. I sat there, and this is not a word of a lie, for an hour just replaying it. My sister thinks I'm mental and my friends called me a 'maniac', but I just had to stare at the blank screen a while so I could recover. **

**I like the word: maniac. May-knee-ack. Tehe. **

**Thanks so much for all your reviews! I love you all! **

**To Renesmee27: Thanks so much for your lovely reviews! A Thalia Grace chapter, just for you... Hope you like it :) She is going to come in in several chapters time, when Kaia is a bit older, but I liked the idea. I won't give away any more than that, otherwise I might end up spilling the entire mental plotline I have mapped out, and there'd be no point to you all reading the story at all. **

**I might do a couple of chapters focusing on the relationships between Kaia/Ethan/New baby before I write the next bit. Not sure yet. **

**That said, on with the story! Yay, everybody be excited with me. I don't own Percy Jackson... One (quite short, now I look at the word count) Thalia Grace chapter coming right up. **

Family isn't always blood. It's the people in your life who want you in theirs, the ones who accept you for who you are. The ones who would do anything to see you smile and love you for who you are~ unknown

"Looks like Zeus is angry again." Annabeth sighed, rocking Ethan on her hip and staring out at the dark horizon.

"When isn't Zeus angry?" Percy laughed, bouncing Kaia up and down on his hip.

"That." Said a voice. "Is a very good question."

Annabeth spun, nearly dropping her son in the process. "Thalia!"

"Hey there." Thalia grinned, hugging Annabeth.

"Gods, you should've called ahead! Or at least knocked! I didn't realise the hunters were in town."

"They're not. Artemis gave me a couple days leave and I thought, hey, I've got nothing better to do. I'll go visit my favourite godchildren."

Percy grinned and climbed to his feet, Kaia close at his heels, as she always was. "Its so great to see you! You shouldn't leave it so long, Kaia missed you, didn't you sweetheart?"

Kaia nodded solemnly. "Missed Aunty Thalia."

"Missed you too, squirt." Thalia laughed, holding out her arms. "Have you guys seen Jason and Piper recently?"

"What?" Asked Annabeth, looking up from routing through the cupboards for the cheeseburgers she had been planning on making her and Percy for tea. "Oh. Oh yeah, they don't live that far from here. Percy took Kaia and Ethan to see them only the other day. Why?"

"I haven't seen them in a while is all. Did you play with Emily, Kaia?"

Kaia grinned, and nodded. "Emily has a big dress up box. And Aithan has swords, we play fighting." She looked proudly at her mother, showing off how many words she had said in one go. Annabeth grinned.

"Yeah, you did. We all had good fun that day. And you, little Madam, gave up on the swords and judo flipped Aithan, which he didn't appreciate, did he? But Aunty Hazel found it hilarious, naturally."

Thalia grinned. "Now that I would like to see. You're just like your mummy, Kaia. And your daddy, too, come to that."

Ethan started to cry, as if reminding them that he was there. Thalia laughed.

"Too right, Ethan Jackson. You should be shouting." She laughed, holding out her arms. Annabeth handed him over immediately. "Need to scream out your views, don't you, otherwise the world will never listen. You're a pretty boy, I'll give you that. Maybe I'll tolerate you, just like I tolerate your daddy."

"Ooh, harsh." Laughed Percy. "We don't need Aunty Thalia to tolerate us, do we Ethan? She's stuck with us, either way."

"Too true." Laughed Annabeth as Thalia did the mature thing and stuck out her tongue.

"What about you, Kaia?" Thalia laughed. "Do you like your brother?"

Kaia wrinkled her nose. "Mummy says I get a sister next."

Thalia looked from Percy to Annabeth and back in shock, her mouth falling open in a perfect 'O'. "Not _another _one?"

"What can I say?" Laughed Annabeth. "We're masochistic idiots. Besides, I wanted a third. Percy promised I could name the next one. There is no way I amgoing to live with two children named after the sea."

Kaia wrinkled her nose again. "Kaia named for Gramma Athena, too." She pointed out, obviously following the gist of the conversation.

"Hey! Whose side are you on?" Percy demanded, scooping up his daughter and blowing a raspberry on her stomach, his expression mock indignant.

"Mine." Annabeth grinned. "And rightly so."

Thalia rocked Ethan, grinning to herself, obviously following a completely different train of thought. "But- three! Blimey, guys. You've run out of hands. What happens when Kaia charges at you, holding a sword, whilst your hands are full with the other two?"

"Jump out of the way?" Percy suggested. Annabeth rolled her eyes.

"She's not a manticore, Seaweed Brain."

"Manticore!" Kaia giggled, reminded of her favourite game. "Manticore, manticore, manticore!"

"Now you've done it!" Laughed Annabeth, punching him playfully.

"Manticore!" Yelled Kaia.

"Yes, manticore, Kaia, enough with the manticore, or I swear I will fetch one from Camp Half Blood and get it to eat you alive." Percy teased, tickling her, making her squeal with laughter that echoed delightfully across the apartment.

Thalia looked at Annabeth, her eyebrows arched in a silent question as she bounced Ethan on her hip. Annabeth rolled her eyes.

"She likes saying it. It was her first word, and it frustrates me no end, so naturally it's her favourite thing in the world to do. Can't shut her up, can we? After all those months of waiting for her to start talking, and all she says is Manticore. Drives me completely bonkers."

"Her first word was manticore?" Thalia asked, perplexed.

"Percy's fault." Said Annabeth, meeting Percy's gaze from across the room with a teasing twinkle in her eye. "Alright, partially my fault. Alright, fine, it was mostly my fault. I was studying it for someone at camp, the night she said her first word, and Percy brought her in to me. We were discussing what I was going to write, and then she just sort of said it."

Thalia laughed. "Right. You know, I like manticore's too, Kaia. So much fun to tease, and much more fun to fight. Very exciting."

"Manticore!"

Annabeth glared mock daggers at her friend. "That's it! I hate you, Thalia. I actually hate you."

"Nah, you don't." Laughed Thalia, grinning. Inexplicably, she yawned.

"Do you want to stay the night? I can make up the guest bedroom, it's no trouble."

"That would be nice." She yawned again. "I must admit, I'm tired out."

She was asleep long before her head hit the pillow, and didn't stir until morning.

* * *

When she awoke, it took Thalia several minutes to orientate herself, and figure out why she could hear a baby screaming their head off. When she did, she sat up and grinned.

"Ssh, Ethan. Please, you're going to wake up your sister, and daddy and Aunty Thalia."

"Bit late for that. Good pair of lungs on you there, kid." Thalia grinned as Annabeth spun around. "Morning."

"You know, that was the first thing Percy said to him."

"Well, great minds think alike. And it's true. I fought this mad Cyclops in California somewhere- tell you what, you can yell louder than him, Ethan Jackson."

Annabeth smiled. "I'm not sure whether to be pleased you're still here or offended that you just compared my son to a cyclops. Either way, I'm glad to see you. You want something to eat?"

"Please." Thalia grinned, sitting down at the breakfast bar. "You know, I was thinking. I want to visit Jason and Piper today, but after that, I could babysit if you and Percy wanted to go out this evening?"

"That would be great!" Annabeth grinned. "Oh my gods, thanks. We haven't been out in ages, not since Kaia was born, really."

"It'd be my pleasure. It'd do you both good to get out a bit, especially with number 3 on the way. Oh my gods, three kids. Still cannot get over that."

Annabeth grinned, ignoring the latter comment. "As long as you're sure you don't mind?"

"Relax, Annabeth. I _want _to, really. Aunty Thalia, Kaia and Ethan have got some catching up to do, after all." She looked at the baby in her lap, and grinned.

Really, thought Annabeth sadly. Thalia had such a strong maternal instinct- you only had to look at the way she'd brought Jason up almost singlehandedly, despite being only a couple of years older than him, to know that.

* * *

Wandering along the pavement with her arm in Percy's, no one around but them, Annabeth felt completely transported with happiness.

"Has to make it onto our top date list." Percy decided, grinning at her as he looked her up and down out of the corner of his eye.

"Mmm-hmm." Annabeth smiled. "Okay, Seaweed Brain. Favourite five dates. Go."

"Alright. Number one would have to be when we were babysitting in San Fransisco, the night you agreed to marry me."

Annabeth snorted. "Oh yes. Babysitting. How incredibly romantic."

"Hey! I resent that! It _was _romantic!" His face was the perfect picture of indignation, but there was a teasing light in his eye that told her he knew she was joking.

Annabeth laughed, and kissed him on the cheek, mollifying him anyway. "Course it was, Seaweed Brain. Top of my list, too. I'm only teasing. What's second?"

"Paris." Percy decided. "When Hermes took us to the Eiffel Tower, just after the Titan War."

Annabeth nodded, smiling as the memory came back. "And you nearly choked on that snail?"

Percy rolled her eyes. "You are completely and utterly impossible. Alright, New Rome, just after we won the war against Gaia."

Annabeth grinned. "Didn't Tyson burst in halfway through desert? Kidding! That was perfect."

"On our honeymoon, when we went for a picnic on the beach at Midnight, and the Poseidon decided it would be funny to completely drown us."

"Your idea of a romantic date with your wife involves your dad taking us for an unplanned swim?"

Percy just grinned. "And then, tonight?"

"Hmm. No complaints so far."

Percy smiled. "Finally! Thank the gods for that."


	13. D-Day

**Author's note: Okay, you're going to have to bare with me whilst I reply to some reviews. **

**To Renesmee27: I am so glad you liked the chapter! I must admit, I wasn't sure, so your positive feedback is much appreciated. If you have any more suggestions, or anyone else for that matter, please let me know :)**

**To Not Hazel Levesque: Haha I think so. I should make a national dress up as voldemort day! Yeah, the bucket list is eccentric to say the least, and most of the items on it are completely unattainable, but they told me to dream big, so I did! **

**To Sora Loves Rain: Thanks! I'm glad you approve of the name, and you're too kind. So thanks again! I really love reading all your reviews. **

**To A-LovesHP: Haha I'm glad your enjoying it! **

**Sorry if I missed anyone off there. I've lost track of who I've got around to sending a PM and who I haven't and who I've put in the author's notes, but all reviews have made me very happy. You must be getting so bored of hearing that, but I'm actually bouncing up and down I'm so giddy-happy. So yeah. Normal child, right here. **

**So I've detained you long enough. You don't have to read all these readers notes, if there's anyone who does. This chapter was really bittersweet for me. Is it pathetic that I cried whilst writing it? Probably is, to be honest. Meh. I don't care, I did it, I'm not ashamed. **

**I don't own Percy Jackson. **

Letting go has never been easy. Yet holding on can be as difficult. But strength is not measured by holding on but by letting go~ Len Santos

Percy rolled over onto his side, looking at the sunlight streaming in from the window, his stomach plummeting. Today was D-Day, the day to end all days...

And he wasn't ready. Not one bit.

Annabeth groaned, and rolled over to face him. "Morning." She muttered, looking at the alarm clock. "Big day today. Blue pancakes?"

Percy bit his lip and nodded.

"Cheer up, Seaweed Brain." Annabeth laughed. "We've still got the other two. It's just school."

"She's a _Demigod, _Annabeth. It's never _just school. _This is a life or death situation, monsters from every corner of New York will flock to her. How could they not? She's so powerful, and she's only 5, just a baby, and ADHD as well-"

Annabeth pressed her lips against his, effectively stopping the flow of words. She chuckled.

"Nothing is going to happen to her. I promise, if I thought anything could go wrong, anything at all, I would not be letting her go."

"She's still a baby." Percy insisted. Annabeth grinned, and jumped out of bed, pulling a dressing gown and slippers over her pyjamas.

"She won't be forever." She reminded him. "And we can't be the ones to hold her back. Besides, we're not the first people to do this. She'll be in a class with Aithan. It's not been easy on Hazel and Frank, either."

"Right." Percy muttered. Annabeth rolled her eyes.

"We're not giving her up or anything, you idiot. She is _just _going to school, nothing more. Not getting married or joining the hunters or going off to war or hosting the Oracle or anything even _remotely _fun- I mean dangerous. Now, come and help me make blue pancakes. And stop looking like you're walking to your death. I don't want to ruin her day, and she's got to be nervous and excited enough as it is."

So when his daughter ran around the corner, blond pigtails streaming out behind her, Percy didn't burst into tears. Instead, he held out his arms and allowed her to jump into them, swinging her in a circle. Suddenly, Percy flashbacked to his wedding day... Of holding Annabeth like this, of the sensation of knowing he wouldn't let go for the world...

Hugging his daughter a little tighter, he closed his eyes a moment, and thought about the moment he had first held her. Why was time going by so fast? He wanted it to stop, he wanted everything to halt, he wanted to grab his children and never let them go.

"How are you this morning, Sofia?" He laughed as his youngest daughter ran up to him and grabbed hold of his leg. Ethan watched a moment, before deciding he didn't want to miss out on all the fun, and grabbed Percy's other leg.

"Oomph." Percy laughed, taking struggling steps forward as his feet dragged. "And he's off, the fastest super-daddy-monster in the entire world. And what's this? A sofa? And he's falling, falling, falling! Aah, he's going to squash Kaia! And at the last moment, he pulls back and grabs Ethan and Sofia and- what's that I hear? You all want hugs?"

He swept all three wriggling children up at once as if they weighed nothing more than a bag of flour. Ignoring their squeals of protest, he planted kisses on each of their cheeks, then dropped them onto the sofa.

"RAWR! Super scary daddy monster coming through! Hungry super scary daddy monster, as it happens. I might have to eat you all!"

Annabeth stood in the kitchen doorway, laughing quietly to herself as she looked through the photographs she had just taken. "And the super scary mummy monster is here to save you all! Blue pancakes are on the table!" She laughed, grinning at Percy.

* * *

"These are good pancakes!" Laughed Percy.

"Daddy!" Reprimanded Kaia, pointing her fork at him. "Don't talk with your mouth full!"

Annabeth spluttered on her glass of water, laughing. "Silly Seaweed Brain. Could you please set some good examples for our children? Please?"

Percy shrugged, downing the glass of milk in front of him in one gulp and grinning at Ethan as he wiped off his milk moustache. "That's what you're for, Wise Girl."

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Just do whatever Daddy doesn't do." She told them. "Are you all ready for big school, Kaia?"

"Yes. Can I have the chocolate spead?"

"Are you sure? You don't look very ready to me." Percy grinned.

"I've laid out your new school jumper on your bed, sweetheart. And once you've all brushed your teeth, I'll do you and Sofia's hair, and then we'd better get off." Annabeth sighed, looking at her watch. "And then daddy will drop Ethan and Sofia off at Grandma Athena's, and we'll both go to work. Daddy will be the one picking you up tonight, alright? I'm working late night on a project, but I should be back for tea."

"No problem." Said Percy, knowing the remainders were more for him than for Kaia.

"Can't I go to Gramma Athena's?" Kaia suddenly asked, in a small voice.

"Don't you want to go to big school?" Asked Annabeth in surprise. The girl across the table hesitated, and then shook her head. Annabeth met Percy's gaze from across the table.

"If you and Ethan are finished," Percy told Sofia. "Why don't you go and get dressed, and we'll meet you in a couple minutes."

"You don't want to go to big school, baby girl?" Percy asked, pulling her up onto his lap. "Why not?"

"Spiders." She whispered. "And mortals are strange."

"Gramma Sally isn't strange, or Grandpa Paul. They're mortals."

"Hang on a minute." Annabeth said, her face draining of colour. "Did you say spiders, sweetheart?"

"Under the bed." Kaia answered, burying her head in Percy's t-shirt. "The spider lady said she'd get me, at big school."

"No." Annabeth whispered, looking at her daughter in shock. "No."

Percy was incredibly pale, his eyes glinting jewel bright. "Listen to me, baby girl." He whispered, smoothing her hair. "The spider lady died, when me and your mummy were younger. And Aunty Rachel made doubly sure that there aren't going to be scary monsters at big school. Aunty Clarisse and Uncle Frank killed all the ones they could, and Uncle Grover and Uncle Hedge will be there all the time, making sure nothing hurts you. I promise you, mummy and daddy won't let anything hurt you. The spider lady lied. Everything is going to be alright, I swear on the River Styx."

"Kaia, look at me." Annabeth whispered. Kaia looked up from Percy's lap, green eyes wide and still brimming with tears. "You should tell mummy and daddy. Whenever something frightens you, especially spiders, we want to know. We can make it better. And I have a present for you, for being brave and going to big school." She unsheathed her bronze knife.

"Annabeth!" Percy exclaimed. She shot him a look that clearly said 'shut up if you know what's good for you'. She did that a lot.

"This is my special knife. I've fought a lot of monsters with this knife, monsters worse than the spider lady. You remember I taught you how to use this? Good. Well, if ever a monster attacks you, I want you to use this knife. I want you to protect yourself, alright?"

Percy bit his lip, watching, as Kaia took the knife in her small hands and gripped it tight. Great. Not only was her first word manticore, she was also a five year old with her own perfectly balanced offensive weapon. They were _amazing_ parents...

"And as for the strange mortals." Annabeth laughed. "They might be strange, granted. Aunty Rachel is mortal, and she's- well, she's a bit weird, I'll give you that. But you're going to make some amazing mortal friends. Mummy and Daddy did, when they went to school. Everyone else is just as nervous as you, honey. In fact, you're better off than most. You already have Aithan, and Emily will start next year. All your other friends are going to go to mortal school. It's going to be equally difficult for them, I promise. It's just hard for you, because you're the first one to do it all."

"You're going to be fine." Percy whispered, more to himself than to his daughter, as he rubbed soothing circles on her back. Annabeth met his gaze and smiled. Kaia just put the knife in her pocket with a determined smile, a sort of fever lighting in her eyes...

Percy gave Kaia a piggyback down to the lobby, the position of honour, whilst Annabeth managed to grab hold of Ethan by the wrist with one hand, and held Sofia's hand with her other.

When the doors flew open, there was a surprise waiting for them...

Percy laughed, and set his daughter on her feet, planting a small kiss on her forehead.

"Surprise." Annabeth smirked.

"Didn't think we were going to let you go off to school without us did you?" Piper smiled, Emily and Jack at her heels as she hugged Kaia, who had always been a favourite with her. Who cared if she wasn't supposed to have favourites? "You and Aithan."

"We're your body guards, kid." Clarisse laughed. Percy still found it impossible to picture Chris, let alone Clarisse, with a child. Yet there was something oddly right about seeing Clarisse with her hair tumbling about her shoulders, her young son strapped to her back and a knife at her belt. "Anyone gives you any trouble, you just come to me. They'll never even see it coming."

Kaia grinned. "That's alright. I'd judo flip them."

Clarisse roared with laughter, as did almost everyone around them. She ruffled her hair. "That's my girl."

"Still, no one's going to cross you two. Let them try." Laughed Leo, igniting a ball of fire in his palm and throwing it up in the air then catching it. Calypso rolled her eyes and nudged him, extinguishing the flame with a mere look, though it was Leo who closed up his palm and let the fire die out.

"Come on them. Let's get this party started." Hazel laughed. Aithan had just pulled his hand out of hers and gone to stand protectively by Kaia. Emily jumped down from Piper's arms and went to join them, still sulky that she wouldn't be going to school with them yet.

And so the family of Demigods and Rachel made their way to school. And though they should have attracted every monster in New York, something (perhaps the mass of celestral bronze they displayed so openly) kept them away that day...

The playground was already full to the brim of giggling mortal children, playing tig or hide and seek or hanging upside down from the monkey bars. Frank put his hands on his sons shoulders, and Percy hugged his daughter to his side.

"You okay, baby girl?" He whispered, so no one but Annabeth could hear. Wordlessly, as if she didn't trust her voice, or (more likely) didn't know what to say, Kaia nodded.

They motley group were attracting a lot of attention. Mothers dropping off children in the playground stopped to stare, and kids in the middle of swinging from one side of the monkey bars to the other dropped clean off into the sand.

"Alright you two, no trouble, if you please." Hazel grinned.

"Yeah, no explosions." Leo added.

"Or sword fights." Clarisse smiled.

"Or summoning the dead." Nico laughed.

"Or supernatural storms." Thalia nudged Jason.

"Or creating tidal waves and flooding the bathrooms, because let's face it, it could happen." Percy teased, winking at his daughter, who smiled back in spite of herself.

Annabeth looked at him. It was her turn to have second thoughts now, and she blinked back tears. "They're demigods. They're not going to _not _create trouble." She knelt in the dirt so she was level with her daughter, and cupped her face in her hands, stroking back a stray curl.

"In fact, I hope you create as much trouble as you possibly can, Kaia Jackson. Just like your father." She kissed her slowly on the forehead, closing her eyes and choking back a sob. "Enjoy yourself. Don't get frustrated if you can't do anything- just do your best, and try to put up with the dislexia and ADHD. And if there are any spiders, remember what I gave you this morning. And please, please remember that I'm here. And I want to know about everything, every scraped knee or papercut, so that I can put it right. Understand?"

Kaia reached out and wiped away one of Annabeth's tears. "Yes. Don't worry, mummy."

Annabeth smiled through her tears. "I love you, baby girl. Now go, while I'm still strong enough to let you."

She let go and straightened up, turning away as her daughter took Grover's hand. The satyr, their greatest friend, led both Kaia and Aithan away to the door. Annabeth grabbed Percy's and Hazel's hands, and watched with her heart pounding away so hard she thought it was going to explode, her throat painfully constricted.

Percy watched as his best friend led his daughter away, to a new beginning. It was everything he had been dreading since her birth- the moment he would have to accept that he couldn't always be around to protect her. The moment he would have to her, and give her freely, to the big wide world.

At the door, she paused, and said something hurriedly to Grover, before spinning around and sprinting across the playground and crashing into Percy, squeezing him in a vice like hug.

"I love you, daddy." She mumbled.

"Love you too, baby girl." Percy sighed, running a hand through her long hair. "I hope you have a lovely first day. I'll be waiting to hear everything about it tonight."

"Bye, daddy."

"Bye, Kaia."

Running back across the playground, she grabbed Grover's hand and went into the classroom. But just as she passed the threshold, she turned and gave them the biggest smile in the world. She wasn't nervous anymore. She was the granddaughter of Athena, Goddess of Wisdom, and of Poseidon, God of the Sea. Of Sally Jackson and Frederick Chase.

Daughter of Percy and Annabeth, two of the strongest Demigods Olympus had ever had.

And as she turned into the classroom, ready to face her very first quest, she held up a hand and waved at her parents. Not a 5 year old girl, nervous about going to school, but a young demigod excited about her very first great adventure. Percy's heart shattered into a million pieces.

It wasn't the first time they'd have to let her go, and they knew it, but by the gods it was the hardest...

"Annabeth?" He asked, turning his head towards her. The tears were streaming down her face, thick and fast, but as she looked at him, her face split into a wide green.

"Yeah?"

"We did alright, didn't we?"

"Better than alright, Seaweed Brain." Annabeth whispered, looking at Ethan and Sofia playing on the climbing frame across the playground. She leaned her head against his shoulder and sighed. "Better than alright."


	14. Kaia Gets A Bedtime Story To Remember

**Author's note: I haven't updated in 5 days. That's just... Wow. Has to be some kind of record for me. On the plus side, I've been having lots of fun, and got lots of inspiration for future chapters. Hope you all had a Happy Halloween! **

**This has to be the shortest chapter I've ever written for this story, but I might have said this before, I hate adding length just for the sake of it. I could add on another idea for a short chapter on the end, but I seem to have hit a brick wall inspiration wise. If anyone has any ideas, please review or PM. I have loads of ideas for chapters when they're a bit older, but until then, I want to write some more chapters whilst they're still small. **

**Thank you so much for the reviews! Just, yeah, happy. You know exactly what I'm going to put here, so I won't bore you all, but I just didn't want you all to think I was ignoring you. I love you all! **

**I don't own Percy Jackson. **

Words are, in my not so humble opinion, our most inexhaustible source of magic~ Albus Dumbledore/JK Rowling

Annabeth was exhausted- like drop to her knees and crawl into bed, then fall asleep the moment she hit the pillow and sleep for the rest of eternity _exhausted. _

For one thing, she'd just spent the entire day overseeing the building of her latest project, and the stupid builders Hera had insisted on sending from Olympus weren't being at all cooperative.

For another, when she'd arrived home it was to find Percy was still at work, so she'd had to do a mad dash to pick up the kids from Sally's, fighting 3 hellhounds and a hyrdra on the way...

And finally, she'd just finished putting Ethan and Sofia to bed. A job which always seemed as draining as 10 tasks quests at once...

Dropping onto the sofa and running a hand through her hair, she heard the sound of voices coming from Kaia's bedroom. Seaweed Brain must be having trouble getting Kaia to go to sleep...

For a moment, she seriously considered just leaving him to struggle, but if she was honest with herself, she knew it would be unfair. Percy worked just as hard as she did, was just as tired as she was, and deserved a break just as much as her.

So, dragging herself upright, she walked to the door and tried not to look like she wanted to strangle someone. At the door, however, she halted.

Percy was sat on the bedside, their daughter watching him with her green eyes wide and her mouth in a perfect 'O' of wonderment, Percy's deep voice echoing in a calming sort of way around the room.

Percy wasn't struggling to persuade Kaia to settle down at all. He was telling her a story. Wearily, Annabeth turned to go. But something, perhaps the way Percy sounded, held her back.

She couldn't recall ever being told a bedtime story- her father had always been preoccupied with work, and when her stepmother had arrived, she wasn't at all the touchy-feely storytelling type. Annabeth's childhood had been devoid of a father like Percy, at least for the first years, and watching Percy with Kaia she felt like she was 7 again. As if Percy was offering her the childhood she hadn't actually had, however much she had secretly craved it...

"The boy grabbed hold of her wrist as she fell into the depths of Tartarus. The spider was still dragging her down, and the others were so busy with the statue that no one had even noticed what was going on."

Annabeth's heart plummeted as she remembered that heart stopping moment, of how her husband had looked as he stood above of her, his face coated with grime and blood. Remembered how, privately, she had thought he'd never looked so handsome as he had in that moment... And then the agony of knowing she was about to become the reason he would fall.

The truth: Percy wasn't telling Kaia a bedtime story. Perhaps he never had. He was telling her the story of Annabeth and Percy Jackson, the truth behind the supposed great love story which became Aphrodite's new favourite, the secret of how they had really got to know each other.

But it wasn't just that, Annabeth knew. For the moment, Kaia thought they were just exciting stories her daddy liked to tell her to make her go to sleep. But she wouldn't always be seven... Percy was preparing her for the life of a halfblood, for the awful things she may yet have to face. It was part of her training, these bedtime stories.

She felt her heart melt. Maybe she should have been angry, she didn't know, but she really wasn't. In that moment, she loved Percy more than anything in the world. Those tales wouldn't be easy to tell... Yet he had done it, something she wasn't sure she had the strength to do.

He had faced the truth behind what Kaia would face when she was grown, and he had confronted it. And, to protect her, he had relived the horrors of his past.

Their past.

Kaia was breathless with excitement, staring at her father with a reverence Annabeth had seen in her since the moment of her birth. A reverence Percy not only deserved, but had earned.

"What happened? What happened next, daddy?"

Annabeth took a step forward and dropped beside Percy, who was so startled to see her he almost fell off his chair. However, when she picked up where he had left off, he didn't stop her. This was her story, too...

"The girl slipped over the edge, and slammed into a rock. The pain was so exquisite, she even blacked out for several second. Arachne spoke in her mind, telling her there was no escape." Annabeth shuddered violently as she remembered the despair she had felt in that dark chamber, the horror of Arachne's voice slipping like poison through her mind. "That if Arachne was going to Tartarus, she was coming too. And she knew, as the pit shook with the force of an earthquake, that she could not be saved. She would fall into the depths of Tartarus. And she wouldn't survive, because no halfblood ever had. But, to save the boy, she knew she would do anything. She told the boy to let her go."

"He told her," Percy whispered, as soft and as quiet as he had been in that chamber, taking her hand now as he had once grabbed her wrist, as if he would prevent her from falling anywhere so long as he maintained his grip. "That he never would. Then he yelled at their friend to meet them at the other door to the underworld. Then he told her-"

"We're staying together. You're not getting away from me. Never again. And the girl suddenly understood what he was about to do. So she told him-" Annabeth whispered, watching their daughter as her eyes widened in understanding, the exact significance of this story just now dawning.

"As long as we're together." Percy finished, squeezing her hand and kissing her gently on the forehead. Annabeth closed her eyes at his touch, her spare hand reaching out, to reassure herself that her daughter was still there.

"Then he let go, and they fell into endless darkness." Annabeth whispered. "Knowing that, in all probability, they would never see the light or the surface or their friends again. But that they were together."

"They- they died?" Whispered Kaia, bottom lip trembling and her eyes filling with tears. Percy met Annabeth's eyes, smiling as he took his daughter's hand.

"No, Kaia. They didn't die."

"But- but I thought no human had ever survived Tartarus? Ever? In the history of the world?"

"No, Kaia. That book you've got is a bit old, it was written before mummy and daddy were even born. There are two people who survived Tartarus, and they're sat right here, in this very room." Annabeth smiled as her daughter's eyes widened, if possible, even more.

"You- you're the boy and girl in the story?" She whispered, her lip trembling rather violently now.

"Yeah, we're the boy and the girl in the tale, sweetheart. Now get some sleep, baby girl. Big day tomorrow. Aunty Hazel is going to teach you how to become a better swordfighter."

"Night, baby girl." Whispered Annabeth, planting a kiss on Kaia's forehead and smoothing back a curl. "Mummy and daddy will protect you, I promise. Sweet dreams."

"Daddy?" Whispered Kaia sleepily when they were at the door. Percy turned, his hand still on the doorknob.

"Yeah, baby girl?"

"Did you really get turned into a hamster?"

Percy laughed. "Is that really all you got from that? Just like your mother... Yeah, baby girl. I really got turned into a hamster."

"And mummy had a crush on Kronos?" the girl in the bed asked, rolling over to look at her parents.

"No! Oh my gods, Seaweed Brain! You told her about Luke? Oh my gods, that's so embarrassing!" She clutched her cheeks, which were now flame red. "No, not Kronos, sweetheart. Our friend Luke, who betrayed us all. And I didn't have a crush on him."

Percy raised his eyebrows and she hit him. "Shut up, seaweed brain. You got turned into a hamster, and your 7 year old daughter finds it hilarious. Don't you, Kaia?"

"Mmm-hmm." She mumbled sleepily. "And Uncle Grover and Aunty Clarisse both nearly got married to a Cyclops?"

Percy laughed. "That was funny."

"And Aunty Thalia was a tree?" She cracked open an eyelid to grin mischievously at both her parents. Percy grinned.

"Yeah. And Aunty Rachel hit Kronos in the eye with her hairbrush. And Uncle Leo spent half his time setting fire to his own pants. Aunty Hazel got really badly seasick. Uncle Frank turned into a goldfish when he panicked. Aunty Calypso had a crush on Daddy. Uncle Jason was raised by wolves. Aunty Piper nearly stabbed Drew. Don't even get me started on your father. He's had too many embarrassing or funny moments to count." Annabeth laughed.

Percy pushed her, though playfully. "The point is, Kaia, this family has done some amazing things, and it was all in the name of love, and friendship and making the right choices. It was all for you, no matter whether you were born or not."

"Now you really should get some sleep, baby girl." Annabeth smiled, putting her hand in Percy's. They went back so far, had endured so much, it was difficult to tell where Annabeth's heart ended and Percy's began. Perhaps it didn't even matter anymore.

The door was nearly closed before Kaia stopped them yet again. "Mummy? Daddy?" She whispered.

"Yeah, baby girl?" Percy asked.

"When I grow up, I want to be just like you."


	15. The First of Many

**Author's note: I haven't updated this story in so long! 13 days, that's just... Wow. My only excuse is that I had no idea what to write. But thanks to thegirlwiththetrident, I'm all better and cured! **

**So, thegirlwiththetrident: First off, I would just like to say that I never, ever get bored of reading reviews, especially ones as lovely as the ones you've been writing! So thank you so, so much! Yeah, I quite like the way British write too. I never really notice it, but when I do think about it, there's a quintessential sort of charm... It reminds me of late winter nights, curled up with my mummy reading Roald Dahl or JK Rowling. So yeah. You are so, so kind, and I'm really glad you're enjoying the story and rate it so highly! And thank you so much for the idea for the chapter. It really is such a genius idea, and I did enjoy writing it, though maybe enjoy isn't quite the right word, since it was kind of sad for me to write at the same time since so much nearly happens/happens, but still... Thank you!**

**I don't own Percy Jackson. **

We get these lives for free. I didn't do anything to get this life, and no matter what the hardships are, it is free and, in a way, it's an extraordinary bargain~ Junot Diaz

Percy picked Sofia off the floor and flung her onto his hip, smiling to himself at the sound of her hysterical giggling...

"Come on, Soph. Your mummy's going to have a heart attack if we hold her up any longer... And don't even get me started on the gods. They don't like it when we're late."

Sofia giggled again. "Then hurry up, daddy!"

Percy rolled his eyes, before planting a kiss on her cheek. "What do you think I'm doing, baby girl?"

"Alright." Annabeth straightened up from buttoning up Kaia's coat and tying Ethan's shoelaces. "We're all ready to go."

"Thank the gods. Worse than fighting the Titans, trying to get this family out the door." Percy muttered. Annabeth's gaze snapped to his face, a smile pulling at the corner of her lips.

"What was that, Seaweed Brain?"

"Ummm- you're looking beautiful, as always?" He asked, grinning at her. She laughed, planting a kiss on his cheek and brushing invisible dust off his shoulders, her hands lingering a second longer than necessary.

"That's what I thought."

"Eurg. Gross." Ethan muttered. Sofia laughed.

"They're not _kissing, _Ethan. Don't be stupid."

"It's still gross." Ethan objected.

Annabeth grinned at Percy, before taking Sofia's hand. "Come on, let's get going. Daddy's right about one thing; the titan war was over quicker than this."

They were walking past the statue of Terminus, the Roman God of the boundaries, and Ethan was doing a spirited impersonation which had Sofia in stitches... There was sunlight bouncing across the pool of water, and Annabeth was just thinking about making an offering to the ill tempered God when it happened.

The emposi came out of no where. One moment, they were stood in the empty square looking at the statue, the next there were six women before them, with mismatched legs and flaming hair.

"Woah." Ethan muttered, backing up and nearly tripping into the fountain. Kaia gave a little squeal and pushed Sofia behind her.

"Kelli." Percy growled. "Didn't I kill you already?"

"Several times, as I recall." Annabeth pulled out the sword she had got in Tartarus, the deadly looking weapon that made you want to scream and run a thousand miles in the opposite direction. Percy unsheathed Riptide with a grim expression, almost as if this was a daily chore he dreaded doing.

"Oh, but I'm not here for _you, _Perseus Jackson!" Laughed Kelli, as if the very idea were ludicrous. The other three emposi snarled. "Or you." She nodded contemptuously at Annabeth. She snarled, showing much more fang than Percy wanted to see. "I'm here for the little one."

Percy felt as if he were falling into Tartarus all over again, his heart beating in his mouth... They were going to target Sofia? Or Ethan or Kaia, it didn't really matter which. If any of his children were taken, Percy knew, he would be broken completely beyond repair.

Rage welled up inside of him, cutting through his insides, polluting his veins... He almost staggered with the force of it. It felt more powerful than any rage he had ever known before in his life. Sure, he knew his children would one day go on to fight some pretty terrible monsters. And he'd seen some monsters completely beyond redemption, monsters possessing unthinkable evil... But to target innocent children?

Kaia was merely 8, Ethan was 6 and Sofia was 4... They were still babies. What kind of monster, however evil, would be so unscrupulous as to target them?

Percy made a silent vow on the River Styx that he would never, ever let any monster hurt any of his children, from this side of the underworld or the other.

"You can either leave us alone, or get sent back to Tartarus, the hard way. Chose quickly." Percy's voice was low and dangerous. He was so angry, the fountain next to him exploded with the force of a bomb, completely soaking them all and nearly putting out the flames in the empousa's hair... Kelli snarled.

"I have waited too long for this, Percy Jackson."

And she flew at Percy, long claws flailing wildly as she tried to claw off his face. However, after a second of fighting, their tactic became clear. Kelli and three of the others were engaging Annabeth and Percy, whilst the other two tried to sneak around them and get to the children.

Kaia had pushed Ethan behind her, her eyes tightly shut and her fist curling around the hilt of her knife. Percy's heart beat so fast with adrenalin and fear, he could barely think straight... Kelli took a swipe, and almost made her target.

"Kaia!" Annabeth screamed, desperation in her voice. Her hair tumbled around her shoulders, and her eyes were wild, a crazy sort of ferocity in her gaze as she parried the empousa's attacks almost absent mindedly. "Grab the others and run! Run!"

For a moment, Kaia hesitated, looking desperately from Percy, surrounded by Kelli and two others to the other empousa and Annabeth, and then at the two closing in on her, Ethan and Sofia with hungry expressions on their face, their fangs bared...

Kaia grabbed Sofia by the Ethan by the elbow and ran. As they went, Ethan smashed the empousa in her mismatched legs with the butt of his sword, and Sofia punched the other in the stomach. The empousa snarled, and made after them. One caught up with them, and grabbed Sofia by the arm.

Everything seemed to slow down... The square coming to a halt as Sofia twisted and kicked and pummelled the monster, trying desperately to get free, her brother and sister completely frozen in shock and her parents battling as they had never before battled in their lives. But there were six empousa, and only two demigods and their three children...

The fangs sunk into Sofia's arm, and her scream cut through Percy like nothing else in the world. The agony was exquisite, like nothing he had ever know. And Percy knew pain.

"NO!" Annabeth screamed frantically, and it was the sound of one in such mortal agony it was ripping her up from the inside out. "NO!"

Slowly, Sofia fell, and despite the confusion and noise of the battle the world seemed to fall silent. The young girl's hair ripped down her back, her hand slipping out of her sister's as she fell unconscious, her head hitting the floor with a resounding crack which echoed around the square.

Kaia let out a terrified scream and dropped to her knees by her sister, grabbing her by the shoulders and shouting her name, pulling Ethan down with her. Suddenly, Ethan gave a scream of defiance and pulled his hand out of his sister's grip and wheeled around to face the two who had attacked him and his sisters.

"Nobody's allowed to hurt my sister!" He yelled. "No one!"

With that, he attacked.

He raised his sword, the one Leo had presented him on his last birthday and launched himself at the two empousa, backing them up against the fountain before jumping into the water and completely soaking them. He stabbed one, and she exploded in bright yellow dust, smearing his face in the gooey mixture.

That was when the second empousa made her attack, and Ethan stumbled into Annabeth, knocked unconscious with the palm of her hand... Annabeth clutched at her son, screaming in denial. In a split second, she had flattened three of the empousa. Now only Kelli and another empousa remained, but neither looked worried...

Kelli laughed, as if she took great pleasure in the sound of her enemies desperation. There was nothing more powerful in the world than a mother's love for her children. By targeting that, she made Annabeth completely useless and vulnerable.

Percy screamed. It was a sound of such grief and rage the entire world seemed to fall silent and fall to their knees, and as he did so Riptide glowed brighter than any light any mortal had ever seen. Annabeth shaded her eyes and shielded her son with her body, screaming Kaia and Sofia's names...

One of the empousa completely exploded... But Kelli still remained. When the dust and the light cleared, she was stood over Percy with her claws raised.

"Victory is sweet. Oh, I shall enjoy this. Vengence, at long-"

And with that, she exploded in a cloud of yellow dust. Percy wiped goo out of his eyes to see Kaia stood with her bronze knife held aloft, the expression on her face downright murderous.

"No!" She muttered. "No more monsters!"

In that moment she looked so like Annabeth as the young 7 year old girl Luke and Thalia had found in that alleyway Percy thought he was having another vision. Her eyes might be green, but the gold coloured hair rippled down her back in a light cascade, and the expression on her face...

"Sofia!" Annabeth screamed, and Percy forgot everything else in the world.

Sprinting across the square, he dropped to his knees and pulled the young girl into his lap. He ran a hand through her hair, and the dark curls felt like silk beneath his fingers, spilling onto his lap in a rich brown puddle. Her pulse was weak, and her cheeks were cold. Her arm was completely drenched in blood, and the area around the wound was tinged with green. He gave a desperate sob.

"Soph, Soph, Soph." He sobbed. "Please, baby girl. Please, answer daddy. Please."

Kaia watched, her face completely bloodless and shocked with her eyes wide and her lips trembling, as Percy continued to beg the tiny, unconscious figure of her sister who was so still she may as well be dead...

Annabeth was carrying Ethan, her face pale but determined as she trailed her fingers along the young boys cheek. "He was so brave." She crooned, a tremulous smile crossing her lips. "So brave, my baby boy."

"We have to get them to Olympus." Percy scooped his daughter up in his arms, pressing his lips against her forehead tenderly, as he had done a million and one times when putting her to bed... "Now."

Annabeth nodded, and held out a hand to Kaia, who was sobbing in earnest now. "It's going to be okay." She said fiercely, as if she was going to force to world to bend to her will with the point of her knife if she had to. "You are not leaving us. Neither of you."

She adressed the unconcious figures as if they could hear her, but when they didn't stir, Percy knew that they couldn't... No child of theirs would ever dare disobey Annabeth when she put on such a tone, and Annabeth knew it. Her expression was so hopeless, it shattered Percy's heart into a million pieces.

They burst through the elevator doors and sprinted all the way to Apollo's temple... Every single person on Olympus knew who they were, and everyone made way. Anxious murmuring rippled through the crowds, but Percy barely even noticed. Every nerve in his body was focused on his daughter's face, and on saving her in any way possible.

Unconscious, both Ethan and Sofia looked too small, too innocent to be allowed... Their faces were expressionless and peaceful, their breathing even and soothing. Percy's arms trembled.

"We need a healer!" Annabeth shouted. "We need a healer, please!" She dropped to her knees, cradling their son and shaking with the terrible force of her sobs.

Apollo had been lounging on a sofa, reciting his latest sonnet to his sister, who looked merely bored. They both leapt to their feet as if they had been shocked by a thousand volts of electricity, and Artemis rushed forwards.

"What happened?" She asked. Annabeth and Percy were old friends of hers, and Artemis didn't put on the same airs as most other Gods would have done, asking for payment for her help. She knew Sofia and Kaia well, mainly, Percy suspected, because she wanted them for the hunters when they were of an age to join...

"The empousa-" Annabeth got out between sobs. "Attacked- bit Sofia- knocked Ethan- unconscious- please!"

"Hush." Artemis put a hand on Annabeth's shoulder. "It's going to be fine. Brother-" She turned to Apollo. "Perhaps I should escort Kaia to Athena's temple. She doesn't need to see this."

Apollo nodded, and took his sisters place, dropping to his knees beside Annabeth and Ethan. His hands passed gently over the sleeping boy's face, and colour flooded his cheeks. His breathing became a little less shallow, his face a little more relaxed in his sleep. Apollo moved to Sofia, frowning at the injury before muttering some soothing words. The poison drained from the wound, and the blood disappeared, leaving a thin scar that could have been weeks or even months eyes. Sofia's eyes fluttered open, and she gave a little gasp.

"Daddy!"

Annabeth didn't stop sobbing for three hours.

* * *

Back at home, Kaia, Sofia and Ethan all insisted on sleeping in their parents double bed. Percy and Annabeth stood at the foot, watching their sleeping faces in the moonlight filtering in from the window. Sofia's head rested on her brothers chest, and Kaia had her arms around her sister. In her sleep, the young girl breathed a contented little sigh, and snuggled a little further into her brother's chest. Kaia tightened her grip, a little protectively.

"They're alright." Percy whispered softly, and there was such profound relief in his words it filled Annabeth with warmth, before a little shiver slipped down her spine.

"For now." She whispered back.

"Annabeth-"

"I couldn't protect them, Seaweed Brain. We were all the way across the square, and they were being attacked, and there was nothing I could do to save them. I should have tried harder, but I couldn't find a way. She could have been killed!"

"But she wasn't. Listen to me, Annabeth. She's fine, and he's fine. There was nothing you could have done, nothing I could have done, nothing anyone could have. These things happen. Demigods- their lives are never easy. I promise you, we'll always protect them, in every way we can. But what happened today- they both fought so amazingly well. And Apollo healed them, didn't he? They're both right as rain. In fact, judging by the way Sofia bounced out of that temple like she was returning from the dead and showed off that scar to Athena and Poseidon, I think she rather enjoyed the attention. They're fine. It's all going to be okay!"

"But there's going to be so many other attacks, Percy." Annabeth closed her eyes. "What if, next time, we're not able to protect them at all? What if we arrive too late to save them? I'm afraid. Percy, do you think- do you think maybe we'd be safer in New Rome?"

Percy hesitated a moment, staring at the sleeping children. Ethan gave a quiet sigh, as if he was having an especially nice dreams... Indeed, Hypnos had promised Percy and Annabeth that they would.

"Safer, yes. But better off? Annabeth, New York is their home. Yes, it can be dangerous. Yes, there was a moment today where I thought, I thought-" His voice choked off as he imagined the possibilities. "But New York is also where Olympus is, it's where our family is, it's about as near to Camp Half Blood we're going to get... It's _our _city. We can't give that up. We just have to be a bit more careful."

Annabeth sighed deeply, leaning her head against his chest. He draped an arm around her shoulder and pressed his lips against the top of her head.

"You know I'm right."

Annabeth smiled in the darkness. When she'd seen Sofia get bitten, felt Ethan crumple, unconscious in her arms... It had been the worst moment in her life. She knew it was something that would never, ever leave her, would haunt her until her dying day. She knew it had defined her entire life.

But she also knew that Percy was right... There was no way they could leave New York, no way they could tear up their lives here and start afresh... Lives for Demigods would always be dangerous, but it was all worth it, in the end. This moment, right here, with Percy... That stood testament to just that. And whatever it took, she would protect her children.

Yes, she knew that with more certainty than anything else in the world she had ever known.


	16. Running Hugs and Holidays By The Sea

**Author's note: So I was sat here, completely stuck, when a thought comes out of nowhere. Instead of trying to come up with moments for Percabeth's kids childhoods, I'm going to take moments from my own childhood and adapt them. For example, my parents used to go away a lot when I was younger (not quite so much now, but still sometimes) and every time they'd bring back presents, but pretend they hadn't... And every evening when my dad came home from work I used to run up and hug him, and he'd catch me and spin me around. So I've adapted those into the chapter. Now, I now have a thousand and one ideas for future chapters. But I was thinking, if you guys wanted to that is, it might be more fun if we had chapters from other people's childhoods, too. So if you have anything you'd like to include (doesn't matter how bizarre, mine are probably going to get more and more crazy as time goes on! Nice ones too, obviously, as maybe this story needs a little sanity, but...) please review them and I'll put them in. It doesn't matter if I don't get any at all, like I said, but it was just a thought... So yeah. Pretty please, anything you want included at all, just let me know! **

**iloverickriordan: Haha I'm so glad you're enjoying it! And cheesy Percabeth! One of my favourite guilty pleasures, as you might be able to tell! **

**ntlpurpolia: Whoops... Sorry about that! I'm so glad you're enjoying it! **

** Sora Loves Rain: Haha didn't mean to scare you! And me too... Even though I was writing it, it had me sort of scared too. Which I know is totally pathetic, but... Meh. **

**AnnabethandPercyJackson17: Haha I've looked into it. With several fictional characters, actually, and was forced to admit that they only exist in books, which depressed me. I'll keep an eye out and let you know! Glad you're enjoying the story ;)**

**thegirlwiththetrident: Thank you so much! I couldn't agree more... I mean, I love American literature, but those particular books, being British is just what gives them the extra charm! **

**purpleperson12: I'm so, so glad you're enjoying the story! Thank you so, so much! I feel so happy now! Nice little update for you (or at least, I hope it's nice!?) **

**Aria Taylor: Oh my, I'm sorry! I seem to be making a bit of a habit of making people cry... At least that bit of bucket list is most definitely ticked off! So glad you're enjoying the story! **

**I don't own Percy Jackson, much as I might wish I did. I'd settle for Jason or Leo or Frank... Anyone really, but sadly they too are not mine. **

The pie really mattered... The maths test really didn't~ Kami Garcia and Margret Stohl

The door banged, and Annabeth looked up grinning, with a wooden spoon in her hand. Before she could even speak a single greeting to the man who'd just poked his head around the door, a squeal came from the sofa.

"Daddy!" Sofia yelled, bouncing off the sofa and doing a running jump into Percy's arms. Grinning, Percy spun her in a circle before setting her on her feet and mussing her hair gently.

"That's an enthusiastic greeting if ever there was one. You nearly ready to go, Soph?" He asked. Kaia and Ethan, obviously alerted by the commotion, had run out of their rooms to hug Percy and show him their homework or, in Ethan's case, tell him about the huge monster he'd fought on East 25th.

"Welcome home." Annabeth grinned, walking over... Percy bit his lip looking at her. Her hair was tied back at the base of her neck, some lose curls pulling from their restrains and falling across her face, a smile on her face as she kissed him on the cheek. "What do you think of the welcome comitee?"

Percy grinned. "Best one ever."

Chiron had asked Percy to go on an important quest this week, with two Demigods in training... Even though Percy's questing days had been thought to be over, he had agreed, after a discussion with Annabeth, to go, on the proviso it was only a week long trip. As a celebration of his success and safe return, the family had decided to go on a holiday. But that wasn't what was on his children's minds right now.

"Where're our presents?" Ethan demanded.

"Ethan!" Exclaimed Annabeth, laughing from where she stood with Percy's hand around her waist. "Let your dad get through the door first, for goodness sakes!"

"Presents?" Percy asked, pretending to be confused as he stroked his chin, feigning wide eyes surprise. "Oh, Poseidon's underpants, I forgot your presents! Left them in the back of the taxi I took back to the apartment! Silly me, you didn't expect presents, did you?"

"Daddy!" Sofia laughed, pulling his hands out from his back. Percy held up his hands, which were empty. For a moment, a worried expression passed over his daughter's face.

From the doorway, Kaia laughed, pulling open a backpack and shaking open the gift wrapped contents onto the floor. "Presents!" She declared.

"Kaia, you minx!" Percy declared, rushing forward and tipping her upside down, to pealing squeals and laughing.

And so Percy found himself sat on the sofa, with Sofia in his lap and Annabeth at his side, looking at three rather expectant little faces smiling up at him...

"Alright. This one's for Ethan."

"Ha!" Ethan said, sticking his tongue out at his sister.

"Ethan!" Annabeth's tone was more amused than angry. "Apologise to your sister, or you won't get anything at all!"

"Sorry." Ethan said, scarcely even looking at his mother or sister as the parcel was passed to him. With his fingers trembling slightly, he ripped off the paper and stared at the gift in his lap.

"Oh, wow, Percy!" Annabeth exclaimed, though her eyes were on her son. "Do you know what it is, honey?"

Wordlessly, Ethan shook his head.

"It's called-" Percy frowned a moment at his wife, before shaking her head. "Well, yeah, I'm not sure what it's called. But it's a shield, which can show you anywhere in the world, what's going on and everything. Really useful, your mum used it in the Titan war to see where all the armies were coming from. But that's not the most awesome part. It's from the Cyclops forges, where Uncle Tyson works, and when you press this-" He leaned over and pressed a button. "It'll morph into a watch."

"Cool!" Ethan exclaimed. "So I can watch the guy next door pick his nose, if I want? And see where mum keeps the key to the biscuit tin?"

Annabeth frowned. "I don't think that's exactly what it's meant for, Ethan."

"But yeah." Percy grinned. Annabeth punched him, though playfully. "Right, while you play with that. Let's see, for Kaia-" he passed her the book.

Kaia ripped it open, and a book fell into her lap. She stared at the gold embossed cover, and looked up, slightly breathless.

"Daddy!" She cried. "How did you-?"

"It's the original, so everything's in there. And it's enchanted, so it'll keep updating, no matter how many years you have it."

"Dedaladus- but I thought, Dedaladus's laptop had all his stuff-?"

"Dedaladus had more than one workshop, Annabeth." Percy smiled. "I said I'd get Kaia a copy of his book for her birthday, but then we uncovered one of his workshops by accident, and I found this. It's every invention man ever created, or everything of note, anyways. It's in Ancient Greek, as well."

"That belongs in a museum!" Annabeth laughed. "Make sure you take care of that, won't you, sweetheart?"

"Course." Kaia looked oddly breathless, clutching the book to her chest.

"Oh, dear. It looks like I've run out of presents!" Percy chuckled as Sofia searched him.

"Daddy!" Sofia protested, lifting up his arm to reveal a small, thin box.

"Alright, baby girl. This was from the Cyclops forges, too. I had it made especially by one of Uncle Tyson's buddies. He was out, unfortunately, but he sends his best wishes."

Sofia unwrapped the gift, and a beautiful, perfectly crafted knife fell into her lap. Annabeth bit her lip, but said nothing, smiling slightly as she watched Percy pick it up delicately and hand it to her.

"I figured it's time you had your own weapon. This is made from the sea itself. With every change in mood of the sea, the colour of the blade changes. See how the colours glint in the light? I can see a bit of coral there, and a jellyfish, and a dolphin there look, and a floating bit of seaweed. Oh, look at that octopus! And the engravings at the top? Can you tell what it is?"

Sofia, who had been laughing in delight as a shoal of fish swam along the base of the blade in the rippling water, turned her attention to the hilt, which was simple and bound in leather, with an engraving of three children holding hands in a circle, laughing.

"It's me." She decided at last. "And Ethan and Kaia."

"Yeah, baby girl. It is. And when you're older, it'll change to show."

"Thank you daddy! I love it!"

Annabeth laughed, and squeezed Percy's hand. "Sofia, baby, why don't you show Daddy _our _present, now?"

"Yes!" Sofia gasped, shoving the knife into her belt and grabbing Percy's hand, pulling him towards the bedroom.

"What's this?" Percy asked, looking at the crayon drawing.

"It's us, daddy." Sofia answered. "Playing in the sea, with Kaia and Ethan and mummy, on the special island last summer."

"Did you draw this all on your own?"

"Yes! Well, Kaia drew the border. It's sea shells, see? And I signed my name at the bottom. Do you like it, Daddy?" She slipped her hand into his and looked anxiously up at him, peeking timidly out from beneath her lashes, large grey eyes so unbelievably like Annabeth's Percy was tempted to laugh...

"Like it? Baby girl, I love it! This is going straight into a frame!"

"Speaking of the island, we'd better get off, or we'll miss our flight." Annabeth grinned, looking in from the doorway.

"Our flight?" Percy echoed incredulously. "Poseidons underpants, Annabeth, do you want us all to die? You'd better be kidding, or-"

He was pulled up short by her doubling over with laughter. "That wasn't funny!"

"Come on." She said, taking his hand. "I'll show you how we're actually getting there."

* * *

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me!" Percy laughed, but out of delight this time. "How the heck did you arrange this?"

"Piper might've pulled a few strings for me." Annabeth admitted. "Her and her charmspeak. Do you like it?"

And she did such an uncanny impression of Sofia, Percy burst out laughing, and pulled her in close.

"Like it, Annabeth? _Like it? _You're the most amazing wife anyone has ever had, ever! Poseidon's underpants, what did I ever do to deserve someone like you?"

"Better not ask that." Annabeth replied, laughing. "I mean, it was only save the world a bizzilion times, face down Giants, Titans and Gods, fight a billion and one monsters, diffuse a war, have a stand off with-"

"Alright, you've made your point." Percy laughed, squeezing her shoulder and turning to the three wide eyed children on the pavement. "Who wants to go on holiday in a van with zoo animals?"

Of course, all of them did...

It was so like the first time they'd ever rode in the back of a zoo truck when they were twelve, except so much better (for one thing, the animals were most definitely not neglected. Their coats shone and their teeth sparkled, and they were only too keen to show off for Kaia, Ethan and Sofia.), that Percy didn't want the ride to end. Annabeth had fought of everything, and they had a great lunch of vegetarian food (didn't seem to be worth the risk of aggravating the animals for the sake of a ham sandwhich.)

Of course, like all good thing, the ride eventually came to an end, and they arrived at their favourite holiday destination _ever. _

* * *

It was too late to do much else but wolf down their tea and put the kids to bed, but Percy enjoyed every second of it. Whilst on the quest, every second away from his family had felt like a lifetime... Now he was back, the seconds were slipping away all too fast.

"Alright, now that's sorted, do you want to go for a walk?" Percy asked. Annabeth smiled.

"Yeah, I'd like that, Seaweed Brain." She smiled.

Annabeth watched Percy in the moonlight, his eyes glinting more brightly than anything on the deserted beach, his hand warm in hers. The lapping of the sea was beautiful, the tang of the ocean even stronger than usual on her lips, the soft sand in between her toes like silk. But more than anything else, she was just glad to be here, with Percy.

"So." she said, swallowing the sudden lump in her throat. "How was the quest?"

He looked at her in the moonlight. "Long." he answered. "I missed you."

It was one of the things she liked best about him. He never beat around the bush, was never really afraid to say what he felt. There was no need. They'd been through Tartarus together... Anything else seemed too petty in comparison, too little to get in the way.

"For me, too." She answered.

"We fought this crazy drakon near Seattle." Percy told her, smiling. "But you don't want to hear about that."

"Don't want to hear about that! Seaweed Brain, I-"

"How was your week, Annabeth?" Percy interrupted, stopping the flow of words by pressing his lips against hers. "How was theirs? What did Kaia score on her spelling test? Did Sofia stay at Hazels again? Did Ethan go to Camp Half Blood after school for sword fighting lessons? What happened at work? What project are you working on right now? How's your dad? Why'd you want to hear me talking about that stuff, when I could be hearing about your week, and all the things _our _family got up to. Come on, I want details!"

So Annabeth talked as they walked aimlessly up the beach, their linked hands between them, telling him funny anecdotes about their week... How Kaia had made her breakfast in bed (even if it was cold pasta sandwich, with soggy bread, it was still a lovely thought!), how Ethan had judo flipped Peter when he was around for tea the other week, how Sofia had somehow ended up with her head trapped in the fridge during sword fighting with Poppy...

She talked and talked and talked, until they found themselves at the end of the beach. Percy gave her that lopsided smile which, despite ten years of marriage and however much longer of knowing him, still managed to make her heart race...

"Alright. Close your eyes." Percy grinned.

"What?"

"Humour me." He told her. Smiling slightly, she did as he said. He led her forward, through a patch of water, until they came to a sudden stop.

"Alright." he declared, uncovering his hands from his eyes with a flourish. "You can open your eyes."

"Percy!" She exclaimed, taking in the candlelit table with the huge vase of flowers. "Oh, this is amazing!"

"Didn't think I'd forget, did you?" He asked, with an impish grin.

"Forget what?" She teased. He rolled his eyes.

"21 years to the day we met." He smiled, whistling under his breath. "Can you believe that?"

"Nope." Annabeth answered, smiling.

"You want your present now?"

"Present? Percy! I didn't want-"

"Humour me?" He begged again, puppy dog green eyes as he smiled up at her. She rolled her eyes, yet again. "Turn around."

Something cold touched her neck as his fingers brushed against the back of her neck. She looked down at the necklace and her breath caught in her throat.

"Percy!" She exclaimed, though halfheartedly, as she turned around and put her hands around his waist. "It's beautiful! Now close your eyes."

"Why?" He asked curiously, looking at her in bewilderment she cursed herself for finding completely adorable.

"Humour me." She laughed. He laughed, and diligently closed his eyes. And without a moments hesitation, she pressed her lips firmly against his.

It was a while before they went back to the house.


End file.
